Oregon Zoo
A public zoo and conservation organization in Portland, Oregon, known for its animal collections, education programs, recovery work and historic railway.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Oregon Zoo is a public zoological institution in Portland, Oregon, located in Washington Park roughly two miles southwest of downtown. Founded in 1888, it traces its origins to two bears that pharmacist and former seaman Richard Knight acquired from maritime contacts and kept behind his drugstore. When the collection became difficult to manage, Knight offered the animals to the city. Portland accepted the bears and their cages on November 7, 1888, establishing what became known as the Portland Zoo. The institution is generally recognized as the oldest zoo in North America west of the Mississippi River. The zoo has occupied several sites within Washington Park. Its collection had grown to more than 300 animals by 1894, and it moved in 1925 to land that is now associated with the Portland Japanese Garden. During 1958 and 1959, the zoo relocated to its present 64-acre site in the area then called Hoyt Park. The current grounds opened to the public on July 3, 1959. The move was staged over more than a year, with larger animals, including elephants and big cats, transferred after their new facilities were completed. The Portland Zoo Railway was built during this period to connect the new zoo with attractions in the older Washington Park area. The institution was operated by the City of Portland until 1971, after which the Portland Zoological Society managed it under contract. In 1976, voters approved a regional tax levy plan and ownership transferred to the Metropolitan Service District, now known as Metro. The zoo was renamed Washington Park Zoo later that year, before the Metro Council adopted the Oregon Zoo name in April 1998. That same year, the opening of the Washington Park MAX light-rail station improved regional access. Animal breeding and public interest have strongly shaped the zoo's identity. The arrival of Asian elephant Rosy in 1953 helped increase local attention, while the 1962 birth of Packy made the zoo internationally prominent. Packy was the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years and became a central figure in the zoo's long-running Asian elephant program. The zoo subsequently recorded many additional elephant births, including Samudra in 2008, the first third-generation captive-born elephant in North America. Packy was euthanized in 2017 after a prolonged struggle with drug-resistant tuberculosis. Today, the Oregon Zoo houses more than 1,800 animals representing more than 230 species, including endangered and threatened species, and maintains substantial botanical plantings across its grounds. Its public role extends beyond exhibits. The zoo participates in recovery efforts for California condors, western pond turtles, northern leopard frogs, Mazama newts, Oregon silverspot butterflies, Taylor's checkerspot butterflies and other imperiled wildlife. It also supports field conservation, community science, animal-welfare initiatives and conservation education. The institution is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is affiliated with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Oregon Zoo is owned by Metro and funded through a combination of admission revenue, public support, donations, sponsorships and other operating income. A regional bond measure approved in 2008 provided $125 million for infrastructure, exhibit renewal, conservation education and sustainability improvements. The zoo remains one of Oregon's principal paid visitor attractions, recording more than 1.7 million visitors in 2018.
History
The Oregon Zoo began in 1888 with two bears obtained by Richard Knight, a Portland pharmacist and former seaman. Knight had collected animals through maritime acquaintances and kept them behind his drugstore at Third and Morrison streets. Rather than purchase the animals, Portland officials supplied two circus cages and permitted the bears to be placed in City Park, now Washington Park. Knight and his associates initially remained responsible for their care. On November 7, 1888, he donated the bears and cages to the city, creating the Portland Zoo. The collection expanded quickly. By 1894, the zoo held more than 300 animals. In 1925 it moved to a site within Washington Park that is now occupied by the Portland Japanese Garden. A larger relocation took place in 1958 and 1959, when the zoo moved to its present location in the area then known as Hoyt Park. The new zoo opened on July 3, 1959, under the name Portland Zoological Gardens, although Portland Zoo remained common usage. The transfer was gradual; elephants and big cats were among the animals moved later in 1959. A narrow-gauge railway was constructed to connect the new zoo with the former site and other Washington Park attractions. Asian elephants became a defining part of the zoo's history. Rosy arrived in 1953, helping raise attendance and local interest. In 1962, Packy was born at the zoo, the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years. Packy's birth produced record attention and helped establish the institution's reputation for elephant breeding. More than two dozen additional elephant calves were later born at the zoo, including calves sired by Packy. In 2008, Rose-Tu gave birth to Samudra, making him the first third-generation captive-born elephant in North America. Packy was euthanized in February 2017 after a prolonged infection with drug-resistant tuberculosis. Governance changed in the 1970s. The City of Portland operated the zoo until 1971, when the Portland Zoological Society assumed management under contract. In 1976, voters approved a tax levy plan that transferred ownership to the Metropolitan Service District, now Metro. The institution was renamed Washington Park Zoo later in 1976. The railway received the related Washington Park and Zoo Railway name in 1978. Attendance, which had fallen sharply during the 1960s and 1970s, began to recover during the 1980s. The Metro Council adopted the Oregon Zoo name in April 1998. In September of that year, the zoo gained direct regional transit access through the Washington Park station on the Westside MAX light-rail line. The institution increasingly emphasized conservation alongside traditional public display. It joined a California condor recovery initiative in 2001 and expanded its role in captive breeding, release support and public education. At the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, more than 140 condor chicks had hatched since 2003, and more than 100 Oregon Zoo-reared birds had been transferred to field pens for eventual release, according to the referenced material. Exhibit redevelopment continued with Predators of the Serengeti, a $6.8 million project that opened in 2009 and expanded the African Savanna. In November 2008, regional voters approved a $125 million bond measure for infrastructure, exhibit improvements, conservation education and sustainability. The zoo subsequently maintained a broad portfolio of projects involving Pacific Northwest amphibians and reptiles, butterflies, California condors, polar bears and Asian elephants. Its research and conservation work includes non-anesthetic blood sampling of polar bears, collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, support for field rangers in Borneo and programs to reduce lead poisoning in condors. The Oregon Zoo is now a 64-acre Metro-owned institution with more than 1,800 animals representing over 230 species, together with extensive plant collections and specialized gardens. Its programs include public exhibits, educational activities, animal welfare, field conservation and recovery breeding. The railway currently operates within the zoo rather than providing its former connection to the International Rose Test Garden. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and participates in international zoo networks. It remains one of Oregon's most prominent paid attractions, with more than 1.7 million visitors reported in 2018.
- 2022
Oregon-reared condors support Yurok releases
[2]Zoo-reared birds contribute to the Yurok Tribe's effort to restore condors in northern California.
- 2017
Packy dies
[1]Packy is euthanized after treatment difficulties associated with drug-resistant tuberculosis.
- 2012
Polar bear sampling innovation
[1]The zoo becomes the first zoo reported to draw polar bear blood without anesthesia, supporting later conservation research.
- 2009
Predators of the Serengeti opens
[1]The zoo opens a major African Savanna expansion.
- 2008
Bond measure and Samudra's birth
[1]Voters approve a $125 million improvement bond, while elephant Samudra becomes the first third-generation captive-born elephant in North America.
- 2001
California condor recovery participation begins
[1]The zoo joins the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery program for California condors.
- 1998
Institution becomes the Oregon Zoo
[1]Metro changes the Washington Park Zoo's name to Oregon Zoo; the Washington Park MAX station also opens that year.
- 1976
Metro assumes ownership
[1]Following voter approval of a regional tax levy plan, ownership transfers from Portland to the Metropolitan Service District.
- 1962
Packy is born
[1]The birth of Packy makes the zoo internationally known and strengthens its elephant-breeding profile.
- 1959
Current zoo opens
[1]The present site opens to the public on July 3 under the Portland Zoological Gardens name.
Products and positioning
A regional public zoo combining accessible animal exhibits with species conservation, environmental education, research partnerships and Pacific Northwest wildlife recovery.
Zoo exhibits
Animal exhibitions
The zoo presents more than 1,800 animals from more than 230 species in habitat-based areas including the African Savanna, Great Northwest, Primate Forest, Discovery Plaza and Steller Cove. Exhibits combine public interpretation with animal care, conservation messaging and botanical landscaping.
Exhibit · 2009
Predators of the Serengeti
Opened in 2009, this $6.8 million African Savanna project expanded the zoo's footprint by approximately 2.5 acres onto the former Alaska Tundra area. It created facilities for African predators and became a major component of the zoo's modern exhibit program.
Visitor attraction · 1958
Washington Park and Zoo Railway
This 2-foot-6-inch narrow-gauge railway was built during the zoo's 1958–1959 relocation. It formerly connected the zoo with other Washington Park attractions, including the International Rose Test Garden, and now operates on a route within the zoo.
Conservation program · 2001
California Condor Recovery Program
The zoo breeds California condors at the Johnsson Center for Wildlife Conservation and transfers birds to field facilities for release. It also runs education related to lead-free hunting because lead poisoning is a major source of mortality for wild condors.
Conservation program · 1990
Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project
The program raises young western pond turtles in a protected setting before releasing them into suitable habitat in the Columbia River Gorge. The effort addresses predation and habitat pressures and has helped establish new populations.
Conservation program · 1998
Pacific Northwest amphibian recovery
The zoo participates in head-starting and release efforts for northern leopard frogs and has previously worked on Oregon spotted frog recovery. Eggs and juveniles are raised with partner institutions before animals are returned to the wild.
Conservation program · 1999
Butterfly conservation programs
The Oregon Zoo participates in captive-rearing and recovery work for imperiled butterflies, including Oregon silverspot and Taylor's checkerspot butterflies, in cooperation with wildlife agencies and other conservation organizations.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Condor restoration in northern California
Northern California · United States
Oregon Zoo-reared condors were included in releases associated with the Yurok Tribe's effort to restore the species to its ancestral northern California range.
Outcome. The birds contributed to a historic tribal-led reintroduction effort in the Redwood region.
- 2012Polar Bear Conservation Science
United States · Arctic research partnerships
The zoo developed non-anesthetic blood-sampling work with polar bears and later collaborated with the U.S. Geological Survey on diet, energetics and movement research.
Outcome. The work supported a broader conservation-science program focused on improving knowledge of polar bear health and behavior.
- 2001California Condor Recovery Program
United States
The zoo joined the federal California Condor Recovery Program and developed breeding, transfer and conservation-education activities for the critically endangered species.
Outcome. More than 140 chicks were reported to have hatched at the Jonsson Center since 2003, with more than 100 Oregon Zoo-reared birds transferred to field pens for release.
Brand decisions
2017
Euthanize PackyOtherBackground
Packy had a long-term case of drug-resistant tuberculosis and continued treatment was no longer considered an appropriate welfare option.
Action taken
Zoo staff euthanized Packy on February 9, 2017.
Aftermath
The elephant was buried at an undisclosed wooded, grassy city-owned location that is not open to the public.
2009
Open Predators of the SerengetiProduct launchBackground
The zoo sought to modernize its African animal facilities and repurpose land formerly used for the Alaska Tundra exhibit.
Action taken
The zoo opened the Predators of the Serengeti exhibit in September 2009.
Aftermath
The project expanded the African Savanna by approximately 2.5 acres and added a major visitor attraction.
Exhibit cost. $6.8 million (2009)
2008
Approve major capital improvement programStrategyBackground
Aging infrastructure and the need for updated exhibits, conservation education and sustainability improvements prompted a regional capital proposal.
Action taken
Voters approved a $125 million bond measure in November 2008.
Aftermath
The funding supported infrastructure work, exhibit renewal, conservation education and sustainability initiatives.
Bond authorization. $125 million (2008)
1998
Adopt the Oregon Zoo nameStrategyBackground
The institution had operated under Portland Zoo and Washington Park Zoo names, while its public mission increasingly reflected a statewide identity.
Action taken
Metro Council changed the name from Washington Park Zoo to Oregon Zoo in April 1998.
Aftermath
The new name became the zoo's established public brand, while its Portland location and Metro ownership remained unchanged.
1976
Transfer ownership to the Metropolitan Service DistrictStrategyBackground
Regional voters approved a tax levy plan intended to provide a new public governance and funding structure for the zoo.
Action taken
Ownership passed from the City of Portland to the Metropolitan Service District, now Metro, on July 1, 1976.
Aftermath
Metro continued to oversee expansion and operations with support from donors, sponsors and volunteers.
Recent events
- 2025
Oregon Zoo begins Mazama newt conservation partnership[1]
Other
The zoo partnered with the National Park Service and High Desert Museum to establish captive conservation work for Crater Lake's threatened Mazama newt population.
- 2023
Takota dies during a routine medical procedure[1]
Other
Black bear Takota died during a routine medical procedure at the zoo.
- 2022
Oregon Zoo-hatched condors contribute to Yurok Tribe releases[2]
Other
Condors raised through the zoo's breeding program were among birds used in the Yurok Tribe's effort to return California condors to northern California's Redwood region.
- 2017
Packy is euthanized after tuberculosis treatment difficulties[1]
Other
Zoo staff euthanized the well-known Asian elephant Packy after a long battle with drug-resistant tuberculosis.
- 2009
Oregon Zoo opens Predators of the Serengeti[1]
Product launch
A $6.8 million exhibit expanded the African Savanna area onto the former Alaska Tundra site and introduced a new setting for African predators.
- 2001
Oregon Zoo joins California Condor Recovery Program[1]
Other
The zoo became part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery effort for the critically endangered California condor.
Sources4 sources
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