PORTLAND, Ore. February, 8th. In an agreement finalized today, the zoo assumed legal ownership of Rose-Tu’s new calf from Have Trunk Will Travel, the California-based company that had previously held rights to the young elephant.“Lily’s living arrangements were never in question,” said Kim Smith, zoo director. “But this makes it official: Lily will live her life with her family herd, the way elephants should.”
Lily plays in the sand back yard of the Oregon Zoo’s Asian elephant habitat. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.
Smith said the zoo also will retain Tusko, the 13,000-pound bull elephant who sired both Lily and Samudra and has been here on a breeding loan since 2005. The zoo arranged to acquire both elephants for $400,000, thus voiding its loan agreement with Have Trunk Will Travel and putting to rest any speculation that Tusko’s future offspring might not belong to the zoo. The purchase was funded entirely by the Oregon Zoo Foundation, the private nonprofit fundraising arm of the zoo, and did not involve public monies.
“We are grateful to the dedicated donors who recognize the zoo as an important community asset and support our work through the Oregon Zoo Foundation,” Smith said. “The ongoing support these gifts provide not only made this ownership transfer possible but helps advance our daily efforts to create a better future for wildlife.”
Lily’s status was secured today with a payment for half the total purchase amount, while the transaction involving Tusko is complete pending a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (a requirement since Tusko was born outside the country).
Smith said she understands the need for reassurance about the fate of Rose-Tu’s calf, as well as the initial public outcry over some misleading reports.
“Given the sensationalized story people were first presented with, that’s exactly how they should have reacted,” Smith said. “If I thought for one minute that this baby was going to be taken from her mother — taken from her home — I would be outraged too. But Lily was never going away, and I think everyone understands that now.”
Controversy first stirred when a Seattle newspaper ran an article suggesting the zoo’s newborn elephant calf could be plucked from her mother and dropped into a traveling circus. As evidence, the paper produced a copy of the 2005 breeding loan for Tusko; the agreement stipulated that Tusko’s second, fourth and sixth offspring would be owned by Have Trunk Will Travel.
The contract, Smith said, was a standard one — and old news to those who’d followed Tusko’s story in The Oregonian. In the zoo world, she noted, ownership is not an indicator of where an animal will live. Even so, the timing of the Seattle article hit a nerve with local residents, who had fallen hard for Rose-Tu’s baby and sought reassurance that she wasn’t going away.
“This controversy was much ado about nothing,” Smith said. “But it’s still been incredibly gratifying to see our community come together like this on behalf of elephants. The passion we’ve seen is precisely what we aim to inspire — it’s what gives me hope for the future, because Asian elephants are facing serious threats to their survival right now.”
Considered highly endangered in their range countries, Asian elephants are threatened by habitat loss, conflict with humans and disease. It is estimated that fewer than 40,000 elephants remain in fragmented populations from India to Borneo.
The Oregon Zoo is recognized worldwide for its successful breeding program for Asian elephants, which has now spanned 50 years. Lily’s grandmother, Me-Tu, was the second elephant born at the zoo (just months after Packy in 1962), and her great-grandmother, Rosy, was the first elephant to live in Oregon.
The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on Asian elephants, polar bears, orangutans and giant pandas. The zoo relies in part on community support through donations to the Oregon Zoo Foundation to undertake these and many other animal welfare, education and sustainability programs.
The zoo opens at 10 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.
General zoo admission is $11.50 (ages 12-64), $10 for seniors (65 and up), $8.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $4 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.
January 30th, 2013. Every year Bill Gates drafts a letter encapsulating the efforts of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This year he recalled, “From time to time we should step back and celebrate the way that the right goals combined with political will in developing countries, aid, and innovation have achieved so much.” Gates is most proud of improving health for the world’s poorest children; according to Gates, in 1990 over 12-million children a year died and now that’s down to 6.9 -million. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had donated over $26-billion dollars over the last 18 years to help the world’s most venerable.
Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and co-founder of Microsoft, is considered the richest man in America, with an estimated net worth of $65 billion.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Portland, Jan. 6, 2013. The holiday season lived on at the 13th annual Epiphany Choir Fest, a benefit at Rose City Park United Methodist Church that raised $4,406 for the Human Solutions Homeless Families Program. Pacific Power matched the first $1,500 in donations. Human Solutions Executive Director Jean DeMaster joined Sheila Holden, Regional Community Manager at Pacific Power, and retired Pastor Charlie Ross, who served as emcee at the Epiphany Choir Fest. Holden presented a $1,500 gift from Pacific Power.Nine church choirs and one community choir participated in the event, singing traditional holiday carols and combining to perform “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.
Nine church choirs and one community choir combine to sing the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah at the annual Epiphany Choir Fest, a benefit that raised $4,406 for Human Solutions’ Homeless Families Program. Pacific Power matched the first $1,500 in donations.
Churches that participated in the Epiphany Concert include those in the network of faith organizations that contribute time and resources to the Daybreak Shelter Network, a year-round, 15-bed facility for homeless families located in the daytime in the basement of Peace Church of the Brethren, and the Family Winter Shelter, a seasonal 82-bed facility that provides overnight shelter to homeless families at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ. In addition to these shelters, the Homeless Families Program at Human Solutions is currently serving an average of 200 more homeless families each night. In total, about 750 homeless adults and children are sheltered or housed at Human Solutions on any given night, according to Executive Director Jean DeMaster.
Funds from the Epiphany Fest help ensure that Human Solutions can provide emergency shelter 365 days and nights per year to homeless families, DeMaster said. “We are seeing record demand for emergency shelter and other services, and rely on the community to help sustain critical programs that help homeless families permanently overcome their homelessness and attain self-sufficiency,” she said. “We are so grateful to our local faith partners, who each year contribute their time and talent to the Epiphany Fest and make it so successful. We are especially thankful this year for the wonderful gift from Pacific Power.” The presentation of the gift from Pacific Power was made by Regional Community Manager Sheila Holden.
As in years past, local church choirs and community choirs sang traditional Christmas anthems and carols at the event, which culminated in the combined choirs singing “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. Retired local Pastor Charlie Ross once again presided over the event, serving as emcee and song leader.
Choirs from the following churches and community groups participated this year: Ascension Catholic, Central Church of the Nazarene, Colonial Heights Presbyterian, Eastrose Unitarian, Gethsemane Lutheran, Parkrose United Methodist, Rose City Park United Methodist Praise Band, Sacred Heart Catholic, St. Timothy Lutheran, and Voices of Hope Community Choir.
Human Solutions builds pathways out of poverty by promoting self-sufficiency for homeless and low-income families and individuals in East Portland and East Multnomah County. The agency’s four
key program areas are homelessness prevention, affordable housing, employment and economic development, and safety net services such as rent and utility assistance. For more information, visit www.humansolutions.org.
Contact: Jean DeMaster, Executive Director, Human Solutions
Portland, January 3rd. Throughout the year, the biggest developing story at the zoo was the baby growing inside Rose-Tu. As the 18-year-old Asian elephant neared the end of her 22-month pregnancy, the zoo’s animal-care staff helped ensure a safe and healthy delivery by monitoring her weight, leading her through daily exercises, and creating a calming birth environment. On Nov. 30 at 2:17 a.m., Rose delivered a healthy, 300-pound female calf. Here’s a video of Lily now:
It’s been a big year for Oregon Zoo elephants, from the 50th birthday of Packy in April to the birth of the newest member of the herd, Lily, in November. As the zoo celebrates a half-century of working with elephants, it looks forward to breaking ground on a visionary expansion of the Asian elephant habitat next spring.
In a public vote on baby names selected by elephant keepers, more than 60 percent of the 50,000-plus voters chose the name Lily for the new calf — following the floral theme of her mom’s name (Rose-Tu, or Rose for short). But Lily is no wallflower — the youngster is proving a boisterous addition to the zoo’s Asian elephant herd, and is quickly bonding with her mother and the other elephants. Visitors can usually see her from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
“I love seeing the way visitors respond to Lily’s energy and spirit,” said Bob Lee, the zoo’s elephant curator. “When people connect with Lily and see the bond between Rose-Tu and her calf, it brings home what we’re doing every day to make a good life for elephants.”
The Oregon Zoo is recognized worldwide for its successful Asian elephant breeding program, which has now spanned 50 years. Rose-Tu’s mother, Me-Tu, was the second elephant born at the zoo (just months after Packy in 1962), and her grandmother, Rosy, was the first elephant ever to live in Oregon.
Packy turns 50
On April 14, the zoo celebrated the 50th birthday of Packy, the iconic pachyderm who kicked off a half-century of successful elephant breeding at the Oregon Zoo. Packy put Portland on the map in 1962, making international news as the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years. He’s held a special spot in his fans’ hearts ever since. Packy’s birth also helped scientists better understand elephants — his mother’s pregnancy established the length of elephant gestation, for example — and opened the door to a new era in elephant welfare.
Packy is now the oldest and tallest male Asian elephant in North America. The zoo celebrated Oregon’s biggest celebrity with a birthday bash featuring music, games and an enormous cake. Packy was also knighted by the Royal Rosarians and honored by the Rose Festival as grand marshal for the year’s Grand Floral Parade.
“The Oregon Zoo is world-renowned for its Asian elephant program,” said Kim Smith, zoo director, “and Packy’s birth was the cornerstone on which this program was built. He has been inspiring people to care about elephants for half a century.”
Zoo lays groundwork for visionary new Elephant Lands habitat
The Oregon Zoo is poised to begin construction in 2013 on Elephant Lands, an expansion of the elephant habitat that will quadruple the elephants’ space and dramatically enhance their experiences and daily routines. The herd will have access to a variety of habitats and terrain, from rolling meadow to hilly forest. Designed for elephant comfort, health and enjoyment, Elephant Lands will include scratching surfaces, elephant controlled showers, pools for bathing and mud wallows to cool and protect skin.
Elephant Lands puts into practice the zoo’s philosophy that all animals should have choices over how they spend their days and nights and access to the outdoors. Forest Hall, a multistory covered enclosure with natural flooring, will provide elephants with shelter from summer heat and winter cold, with wide-open doors to the meadows and forests, pools and wallows.
In addition, zoo visitors can expect completely new options for viewing these mighty and majestic animals.
In December, Metro Council directed Metro’s COO to exercise the option the agency holds on the former site of Roslyn Lake in rural Clackamas County and purchase the 260-acre parcel from Portland General Electric for development as a future remote elephant center. This allows the zoo to purchase the property at an agreed-upon price that is set to expire at the end of this year. The zoo anticipates that development may be several years in the future. With the purchase, the zoo can move forward on specific site development plans. In the mean time, zoo officials are exploring long-term strategies for funding the center’s operations.
Samudra gets life lessons from dad
In June, the zoo honored Tusko as its Father of the Year. The sire of both Lily and her 4-year-old brother Samudra, Tusko has been giving Sam life lessons in what it means to be a bull. Keepers believe that seeing male behavior modeled from an early age will have a positive effect on Samudra’s ability to socialize with the herd as he matures.
In the past year, Tusko has been teaching Samudra how male elephants, called bulls, interact with female elephants. The 40-year-old bull has also taught the youngster to respect him as the dominant male of the family grouping by, among other things, waiting to eat until after Tusko has eaten and not facing the impressive bull directly.
Keepers hope that by learning to be a docile male elephant in his youth, Samudra will mature more slowly and therefore remain with his mother and aunties for a longer time before separating from the herd, as males do in the wild.
Research aims to safeguard elephant welfare
This year, the zoo continued its leading role in research to understand Asian elephants and safeguard their welfare, both in human care and in the wild. The zoo is collaborating with the National Zoo on research to protect elephant health by identifying the causes of EEHV, the deadliest viral disease affecting Asian elephants both in zoos and in the wild. The Oregon Zoo is also supporting research into treatments such as the promising antiviral drug glancovir.
The zoo’s Asian elephant Chendra is also helping researchers protect her endangered subspecies of elephants on the island of Borneo. They’re examining the DNA of Chendra and other Borneo elephants in Malaysia to understand the pachyderm’s genome and protect the genetic diversity of Borneo pygmy elephants, which number only about 2,000 in the wild and are highly threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation.
Zoo works to protect elephants in the wild
As the Oregon Zoo worked to ensure the welfare of the elephants in its care, it also worked to protect elephants in the wild. Asian elephants are considered highly endangered in their range countries, threatened by habitat loss and conflict with humans. It is estimated that fewer than 40,000 elephants remain in fragmented populations from India to Borneo. Through the International Elephant Foundation and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the zoo supported a broad range of elephant conservation efforts to help wild elephants.
This year, the zoo continued to support work to address human-elephant coexistence issues, including the introduction of palmyra palm tree barriers in Sri Lanka as a sustainable, ecofriendly long-term tool for deterring crop-raiding elephants. Kids in Sri Lankan schools are also learning about safety around elephants and ways to coexist in harmony.
Oregon Zoo-supported projects also empower local communities to monitor and protect their neighboring elephants. In Myanmar, Chin villagers are trained to survey elephants and patrol for poachers. And in Sumatra, once-neglected captive elephants are participating in direct field based wildlife conservation.
Portland, December 29th. 2012 was an exciting year in Portland’s nonprofit community. We’ve scoured our archives to find the most viewed stories on PortlandSocietyPage.com over the past 12 months. Was it the OMSI gala? The Red Dress Party? A Portland Center Stage Bash?
Below are the top 10 most viewed stories, and links to check out the vibrant nonprofit benefits which captured your attention.
Portland, April 20th. Supporters of the Children’s Relief Nursery raised over $216,500 at their annual gala. The event featured an Iron Chef competition. Adam Sappington won the top honor for the fourth time by besting Adam Higgs. Higgs was the 2011 Peoples Choice Winner and is the Owner of Acadia Bistro. Schnitzer Steel was represented by: Jamie Wilson, Andy Rohling, Brenda Hein, Isla Wilson, Hasina Squires, Jennifer Hudson, and Pat Christopher
Portland, May 5th.Portland Center Stage hosted its annual gala and this year’s theme, Blue’s Rendezvous: A Night on the Bayou, was inspired by the soul and history of the blues. Guests included: Ryan Taylor, Angela Taylor, Zach Stepp, Dave Lofland, Briana Gonzales, and Tom Barreto. (Photo Credit, Joni Photo)
Portland, September 22nd. The Children’s Cancer Association’s Hero Gala was neon-bright at the Portland Art Museum. Founder, Regina Ellis, (pictured with KINK’s Sheila Hamilton and local fashion designer, Michelle DeCourcy) introduced a new upbeat program called Give Get Share. CCA parent Chunda Starr shared her personal experience with program and evening ended with a paddle raise, which raised $380,000. (Photo credit, Mariel Klein)
Portland, March 22nd. Friends and nonprofit leaders raised a glass in at Paragon Restaurant to toast the announcement of a special award to be given by PortlandSocietyPage.com. The “Bright Spot Award” is the heartfelt recognition of an event which captures the imagination of our PortlandSocietyPage.com readers. On hand for the announcement were Elizabeth English, Henry Hillman, Nancy Frisch, KINK’s Sheila Hamilton, Jill Schnitzer Edelson, and PortlandSocietyPage.com Editor, Elisa Klein.
Portland, April 14th. Over two-thousand devil-may-care Portlanders raised the roof on a Pearl District warehouse converted for one of the biggest charity benefits of the spring: The Red Dress Party. The massive event, organized by Red Dress PDX , had revelers on their feet dancing till the wee hours of the morning. Guy Bennette, Scott Ruben, Jan Bennette and Cameron Crook were all smiles at the party. Beneficiaries of the event include: Our House,The Cascades AIDS Project Kids’ Connection, The Quest Center for Integrative Health.
Portland, May 4th. OMSI supporters were invited to a Gala of surprises benefiting future generations of innovators and problem solvers. Gala Chairs, Lynn and Scottie Johnson celebrated with OMSI President, Nancy Stueber at the event. Their objective is to, “Light the path of learning for children and families throughout the Northwest.”
Ashland, February 24th. The Tony Award–winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival is off and running; watch out for flying pies because Animal Crackers is one of the eleven productions this season. It’s the 1930s vaudevillian musical farce made famous by the Marx Brothers. (Photo credit, Jenny Graham)
Here’s a photo to put you into the mood for Memorial Day weekend, it’s from a 1950′s beauty contest at Jantzen Beach. The photo, from our friends at the Oregon Historical Society, shows contestants Anne Lustavka, Kathleen Kinder, Jane Hoberg and Gloria Albertson. It’s typical of events held during the heyday of Jantzen Beach, on Hayden Island, when the location was an amusement park and and tourist destination (before it was the site of a shopping mall).
Portland, September 29th. Taking a page from P Diddy’s playbook, parents and community members converged on the newly-build home of Sheila Hamilton and Colin Maclean to raise money for their students. (Photo credit, Brian Black) The Riverdale School District Parent Teacher Club helped organize the party and white attire was a must.
Portland, December 7th. More than 800 supporters crowded the Left Bank Annex for Levé’s Ninth Annual Charity Ball. The grass-root charity created by young women in Portland selects a nonprofit each year and “I Have a Dream” Oregon was the fortunate recipient for 2012. The group is close to reaching its $50,000 fundraising goal. Levé board president, Megan Dobson (second from right), sells flair at the Ball to Abby Lee, marketing & communication chair Natasha Dagg and others.
Thank you for supporting PortlandSocietyPage.com this year. We look forward to covering hundreds of great nonprofit events in 2013. If you have an event, suggestion, or would like to advertise on Portland’s only nonprofit news website, please contact us at [email protected].
NONPROFIT BENEFIT TICKET GIVEAWAYS!
Sign up for our free weekly highlights for the chance to win two tickets terrific nonprofit events! If you "like" us on facebook, or sign up for our weekly news highlights, you'll be entered to win! Sign up today!
Look for another ticket giveaway soon! Are you a nonprofit looking to bolster your publicity with facebook and tweets? Email us and we'll run a contest with tickets to your event! [email protected]
Zoo works to protect elephants in the wild
