…Continued from Inland Pigs of Asia Exhibit.
Asian Elephants at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
As of 2009, the Oregon Zoo was home to seven Asian Elephants, including Packy, the oldest, and Samudra, the youngest.
Asian Elephants at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
Packy was born in Portland in 1962 and was the first elephant born in America in 44 years.
Asian Elephant at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
Samudra was born August 23, 2008 and is the first of a third generation of elephants descended from Portland's first elephant Rosy, and the first third-generation captive elephant born in North America.
Asian Elephant at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
The elephant exhibit was last renovated in 1993.
Asian Elephants at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
The elephants have access to a total of 50,670 square feet.
Asian Elephant at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
The area available to Portland’s elephants far exceeds the minimum of 1,800 square feet per elephant required by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Asian Elephants at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
The area pictured here is the back sand yard.
Asian Elephant at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
The back sand yard includes over 25,000 square feet of area with an 80,000 gallon swimming pool.
Asian Elephants at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
There is also an 8,500 square foot front sand yard that is available to the elephants.
Asian Elephant at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
Construction of an expanded elephant habitat began in 2013 with completion planned for late 2015.
Asian Elephant at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
Here is one of the elephants in one of six indoor rooms, which have a total of over 15,000 square feet. This is the only room of the six that is viewable by the public.
Elephant Jaws at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
Here is the jaw of a 56-year-old Asian Elephant and of a 6-year-old African Elephant compared to that of an adult human. Elephants have four teeth are in their jaws at any given time; one tooth on each side of the upper and lower jaws. When a tooth wears out, the tooth plates break up and the pieces of tooth fall out or are pushed out by the next tooth coming in. Elephants have a total of six sets of teeth. When a wild elephant wears out its last set, it starves to death. Elephants in captivity can be fed a soft diet to extend their lives somewhat.
Lilah Callen Holden Elephant Museum on November 10, 2009
The Lilah Callen Holden Elephant Museum was designed by John Storrs and opened in December 1985. Lilah Callen Holden was an elephant supporter since Packy's birth in 1962 and believed the Portland's zoo should have a elephant museum. After her death in 1983, her family donated over $100,000 to make the museum a reality. The Lilah Callen Holden Elephant Museum closed in January 2013 to make room for the expanded elephant habitat.
Mastodont Skeleton at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
The American Mastodont (Mammut americanus) was a pre-historic mammal that looked similar to a modern elephant but was slightly smaller and bulkier. Like the woolly mammoth and modern elephants, Mastodonts belong to the order called Proboscidea (named for their most prominent organ, the proboscis, or trunk) but belong to the scientific family called Mammutidae, instead of the elephant family. Mastodonts first came to North America from Siberia about 3.5 million years ago and became extinct about 10,000 to 6,000 years ago. Mastodonts could be found from the Yukon to Nova Scotia in the north, and from Mexico to Florida in the south. They lived in conifer forests much like those in the Pacific Northwest where they ate twigs and leaves.
Mastodont Skeleton at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
This skeleton of an American Mastodont, on indefinite loan from the Smithsonian Institution's United States National Museum of Natural History, was found near Churches Corner in Hillsdale County, Michigan and is believed to be at least 7,000 years old. Mastodont fossils like this have been found in Oregon, including in the Portland area. The skeleton was returned to the Smithsonian in 2013 after the closure of the Lilah Callen Holden Elephant Museum.
Mastodont Rib at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
This is a rib bone from a partial mastadont skeleton found a few miles south of Portland in Tualatin, Oregon.
Tooth Ceremony of Kandy Elephant Costume Model
Followers of Buddhism come from around the world to attend the annual Tooth Ceremony in the mountain city of Kandy in Sri Lanka, where a tooth believed to be from the Buddha is paraded through town in a procession containing many richly costumed elephants, illustrated by this miniature. At night, the costumes are lighted by small bulbs.
Howdah at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
Wooden elephant saddles called howdahs, like this one from Surin Province, Thailand, are still used in Southeast Asia.
Below are some of the other artifacts in the Lilah Callen Holden Elephant Museum.
Elephant Tusk at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
Elephant Tusk at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
Elephant Carving at the Oregon Zoo on November 10, 2009
Tricycle Ridden By Circus Elephants on November 10, 2009
Continue to Predators of the Serengeti Exhibit…
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