Recent News
NOTE: Dates indicate date of press releases.
International Poster Exhibit opens at the Oregon Zoo - April 6, 2000
Endangered Cat Moves Into Renovated Exhibit - April 6, 2000
Burmese Pyhton to be Measured, Weighed, Moved to New Exhibit - March 15, 2000
Bowlers Gather To Help Save Endangered Rhinos - March 2, 2000
Volunteers and Technology Bring Science Education Program to the World - Feb. 16, 2000
Chendra's Welcome Party - February 8, 2000
Howler Monkeys Swing Into Zoo - February 8, 2000
Oregon Zoo Receives M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Grant - January 5, 2000
Zoo Attendance Tops One Million - January 5, 2000
Chendra Given Clean Bill of Health - January 3, 2000
Yowee, She's a Girl! - December 27, 1999
Lorikeets to Land - July 23, 1999
Meerkat Mob Moves Into the Oregon Zoo - July 1, 1999
INTERNATIONAL POSTER EXHIBIT OPENS AT THE OREGON ZOO
"Amur Leopards and Tigers: What Can We Do?" is the theme of an International Poster Exhibit which debuts Saturday, April 8 in the Oregon Zoo's Primate Gallery. The posters were created by students in the Portland area and in Khabarovsk, Russia, Portland's Russian sister city. Khabarovsk is located in the Amur River valley of eastern Russia, home of endangered Amur cats.
The Amur Cats International Poster Exhibition celebrates the opening of the new Amur leopard exhibit next to the current Siberian tiger exhibit at the Zoo. Through student participation and public display of the Russian and American art, organizers hope to raise awareness about the status of these critically endangered leopards and tigers and foster a conservation ethic.
"The energy and passion displayed in these student works shows that concern for the future of wildlife is universal," said Roger Yerke, the zoo's manager of Education Programs.
The 3rd through 12th grade artists were judged on their poster's relevance to the contest theme, conservation message and artistic merit. The exhibit contains 24 posters from American students and 24 from Russian students. Every student who created a poster will receive a certificate of recognition. American students whose work is part of the exhibit will be awarded a certificate of exhibition and attend a special gallery reception at the Zoo.
The idea of an international poster exhibit was a cooperative effort of the Portland-Khabarovsk Sister City Association and the Oregon Zoo. This is not the first time that the Zoo and officials from Khabarovsk have worked together. Two years ago educators and city administrators from Khabarovsk visited Portland to observe environmental quality, recycling, and education programs. Six months later, Yerke and Rex Ettlin, an education program coordinator with the Zoo visited Khabarovsk to conduct an environmental education workshop for teachers and museum educators in Khabarovsk.
The posters will remain on exhibit through June 6, at which time the exhibit moves to a display in Khabarovsk, Russia.
ENDANGERED CAT MOVES INTO RENOVATED EXHIBIT
An endangered Amur leopard will be moved to a newly renovated exhibit at The Oregon Zoo. The nine-year old male will live in a thickly planted habitat in the zoo's former feline building.
Amur leopards are critically endangered; it is thought that there are as few as 60 left in the wild and an estimated 64 in captivity in North America. A Population Management Plan (PMP) has been established for this subspecies of leopard. The PMP is a cooperative effort among zoos and other captive animal facilities to monitor the status and plan breeding of the current captive population.
This basically is the beginning of the return of many big cats to the zoo, said Zoo Director Tony Vecchio. Exhibiting these animals is also a direct response to the public's overwhelming request to see them, he added. Vecchio said that he regularly asks groups to which he speaks as well as the general public what animals they want to see at the zoo. Big cats, primates and reptiles head the list, he said.
Vecchio gathered a group of zoo staff to design and build a feline habitat and determine the appropriate species to exhibit. The group decided upon Amur leopards because of their endangered status.
A second Amur leopard will join the male, named Frederick, in a few months. His sister will soon arrive from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado to begin a 30-day quarantine period. The pair will not be bred.
We are very fortunate to be able to provide a home for these animals, said Animal Collection Manager Chris Pfefferkorn. Being deeply committed to species conservation, we felt that the Oregon Zoo could help significantly by providing excellent housing for animals whose numbers are desperately low, he added.
The new exhibit features a number of trees and logs, many of them jammed together high above the exhibit floor. Leopards are somewhat arboreal by nature, said Jon Brangan, exhibit manager, and like to perch in trees way up high. The entire exhibit is designed to simulate the landscape of their wild environment as closely as possible.
The leopard will have his own small pool, and the visitor viewing area will feature a tempered half-inch glass window reaching to ground level where Brangan said, people will be able to go face to face with him. A special innovation for the exhibit is a small covered hut designed for children, where they can view the leopards at their level. A heated pad will be placed directly in front of the viewing area where the animals will likely lie down during cold days.
Of all cats, leopards have the largest distribution. They formerly ranged throughout almost all of Africa and large part of Asia, from Turkey and the Middle East to Indonesia and Russia. The Amur leopard has the most northern distribution of the eight subspecies of leopard. Named after the Amur River on the border of northeast China and southeast Russia, Amur leopards once roamed a much wider area. Their numbers have declined because of human encroachment and poaching.
Like their African cousins, the Amur leopards have a yellowish, tawny coat with many spots that are widely spaced rosettes with thick borders. The Russian leopards, however, have a more intense coloring and longer fur, an adaptation for surviving in their normally cold and snowy areas.
BURMESE PYTHON TO BE MEASURED, WEIGHED, MOVED TO NEW EXHIBIT
Oregon Zoo keepers will move a large Burmese python to a new exhibit Thursday. Goldie, who previously only made appearances in the Zoo's education programs, will be placed in a new permanent enclosure in the Primate Building.
Burmese pythons can grow to more than 20 feet and weigh up to 200 pounds. Keepers will take the opportunity to weigh and measure Goldie, estimated to be more than ten feet long and 120 pounds, before they place her in the new enclosure.
Zoo Director Tony Vecchio said that Goldie has grown too large to use in education programs. We've also heard from our zoo visitors that they would like to see more reptiles here, so we decided to create an exhibit where people can enjoy her. People are fascinated by large snakes, and Goldie is such a magnificent animal that we knew that she would soon become a zoo favorite, he added.
Although Goldie's age is not known, Burmese pythons can live up to 25 years. Their range includes northeast India through southern China and south through the Malay Peninsula. Considered threatened, they are listed on Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species).
Burmese pythons are readily bred in captivity, but their status in the wild is on the decline. Habitat loss and hunting for their skins for the fashion industry have put pressure on wild populations.
At the same time, zoos cannot care for the number of captive bred pythons offered to them. People often buy Burmese pythons as pets without considering the fact that they are buying a baby. In a few years their little pet grows to be as large as Goldie. When they can no longer provide proper care, they try to donate it to a zoo. We recommend that everyone ask themselves if they can make the commitment to care for an animal for its whole life before deciding to acquire it as a pet, said Roger Yerke, education program manager.
Rainforest dwellers who are active at dusk and dawn, Burmese pythons live in a variety of habitats, from lush vegetation along river banks to montane forests. They are excellent climbers and swimmers. In the wild, Burmese pythons suffocate larger prey by constriction. Depending on their size, they eat various species of amphibians, lizards, other snakes, birds and mammals.
BOWLERS GATHER TO HELP SAVE ENDANGERED RHINOS
Hundreds of bowlers will hit the lanes Saturday, March 25 to save an endangered species. Bowling for Rhinos, an annual fundraiser in its 11th year, takes place at Beaverton's Brunswick Sunset Lanes in two afternoon sessions beginning at noon and 3 p.m. The event, sponsored by the Portland Chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers, supports programs to save the endangered rhinoceros.
Bowling for Rhinos is a national program that has raised more than $1.1 million since its inception. Portland bowlers have raised more than $100,000 of that amount, more than any other city in the country. Money raised goes directly to three specific rhino conservation projects working to protect three of the world's five species of rhinos.
Bowlers raise funds by collecting tax-deductible pledges. The Portland event features raffles and a silent auction for a variety of items. Nationally, the top two fundraisers win a two-week trip to Kenya, and will be the guests of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Lewa was the first rhino program supported by the bowling event. Two additional Indonesian programs now receive funds Ujung Kulon National Park on the island of Java, a tropical lowland rainforest area home to the reclusive Javan rhino; and Bukit Barasan Selatan National Park, on the island of Sumatra. Bukit Barison is home to the rare Sumatran rhino and other endangered animals, including Asian elephants, tigers, clouded leopards and Malayan sun bears.
Michael Illig, the Oregon Zoo's senior Africa keeper and local coordinator for Bowling for Rhinos, noted that globally, all rhino populations are low. There are less than 2,600 black, only 300 Sumatran and less than 60 Javan rhinos surviving. While populations of white rhinos (estimated to be 8,500) and Indian rhinos (estimated to be 2,500) are more stable, they too are considered threatened, Illig said. Saving all species of rhinos is important, but the most critically endangered species drive our efforts, he added.
Oregon Zoo Director Tony Vecchio is pleased that the zoo's keepers and the greater zoo community have done so much to save rhinos. The main mission of the Oregon Zoo is conservation, he said. It is especially gratifying to see that our dedicated staff believes so strongly in that mission and has devoted so much of their own time and resources to this important conservation mission, he added.
Registration forms for both bowlers and sponsors are available at Sunset Lanes and the Oregon Zoo, or through the zoo's web site at www.oregonzoo.org. Individuals and teams are encouraged to register early, but walk-ins are welcome.
VOLUNTEERS AND TECHNOLOGY BRING OREGON ZOOS SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAM TO THE WORLD
The Oregon Zoo is coming to a screen near you. ZooScope, the Oregon Zoos innovative science education program, is leaping to the internet at http://zooscope.oregonzoo.org.
A $40,000 grant from Intel's Getting Intel involved in Education (GiiVE) made it all possible. A group of dedicated Intel employees, working with zoo educators and volunteers, have taken an on-grounds zoo program and made it available to students and teachers around the world.
Originally called ZooWatch, the program debuted in spring 1997 and gave zoo visitors the opportunity to collect animal behavior data. For example, at the elephant yard, participants could record Rose-Tu's behavior to chronicle changes in her socialization pattern as she matures.
The ZooScope web site will provide real-time images from four animal exhibits that allow young researchers to collect data on-line. In addition, the site features an "Ask the Scientist" section, ideas for individual observation projects, and complete teacher curriculum with correlates for state benchmarks.
ZooScope focuses on studying animal behavior, but the larger objective is to bring the zoo to the classroom and give students the understanding of, and practice in, the scientific process.
Tony Vecchio, Oregon Zoo director, notes that "This kind of science education, which combines learning with children's natural curiosity, can spark a love of science at an early age. We are grateful to Intel for making this program available to children everywhere."
Intel has awarded GiiVE grants at its sites around the United States. The grants are meant to promote the best new ideas for improving education. Teams of Intel employees developed and submitted ideas at each site that were aimed at spurring learning in math, science or technology; or enhancing learning through the use of technology.
Gerry Lukos, a librarian at Intels Jones Farm campus, led a team of six employees in winning the ZooScope grant proposal. Lukos and other volunteers have committed to donate more than 1000 hours to the project.
Lukos says, "Going for the grant was a wonderful opportunity to bring together the zoos role in science education and Intels mission of funding science education projects in the community."
Intel volunteers are available to visit schools in a 50-mile radius from Portland and demonstrate the ZooScope program. For more information, classroom teachers can call the zoo at 220-2781.
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The Oregon Zoo and Enron host a debut party for Chendra, the latest addition to the zoos elephant herd, on Saturday, Feb. 12 and Sunday, Feb. 13.
Chendras Welcome Party hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Chendra will be on exhibit from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The pachyderms party will feature activities for children in the elephant barn and in the Kalahari Room that are free with regular zoo admission. In addition to seeing Chendra for the first time, visitors can:
- Sign the giant welcome card for Chendra
- Do the "Chendra Shuffle" game and win prizes
- Make elephant crafts to take home
- Compare their foot to an elephant's
- Listen to animal stories and tales from Chendra's journey
- Have their face painted
- Wear elephant ears
In 1997, the Oregon Zoo, with support from Enron, announced plans to bring a female elephant from Asia to the United States. Chendra, a six-year old elephant that was orphaned on the island of Borneo, arrived at the zoo in November 1999 and is on permanent loan from the government of Malaysia.
After a six-week quarantine period, Chendra has spent the past month getting to know her surroundings and the zoos three other female elephants.
According to Mike Keele, the zoos assistant director and curator, Chendra has had contact with the other females on an individual basis. "Keepers have monitored the meetings and they are going well," says Keele. "Theyre all checking each other out and well continue to let them get acquainted at their own pace."
Keele hopes that Chendra will eventually add diversity to the American Zoo and Aquarium's North American Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan. In addition, Chendra will provide companionship to the zoos existing herd and benefit from the zoo's care.
The Oregon Zoo is the new home for two Black Howler monkeys. They have taken up residence in the zoos primate exhibit and their agile antics and vocalizations are quickly making them zoo favorites.
The 12-year-old female and 9-year-old male are a non-breeding pair from the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina. This particular species of Black Howlers are native to Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia and their status is threatened due to destruction of habitat.
Black Howlers are the largest New World monkey and their average weight is 12 pounds for the female and 15 pounds for the male. The two-feet-tall monkeys both have long, coarse hair, but the male is solid black and the female is yellow-brown. Both sexes have a bare face and a prehensile tail, as long as their body, that is naked on the underside.
Black Howlers live in trees and their diet consists mostly of leaves. They have a specialized digestive system which enables them to live for weeks on leaves alone. These monkeys have a specialized egg-shaped bone at the base of their tongue that allows them to produce the loudest call of any primate.
Mike Marshall, primate keeper at The Oregon Zoo, says the new arrivals "are a sweet-natured pair and their prehensile tails make them a delight to watch--its like they have five hands."
Marshall adds that the female is very inquisitive and its not unusual to find her using one of the keepers heads as a perch.
OREGON ZOO RECEIVES M.J. MURDOCK CHARITABLE TRUST GRANT
The Oregon Zoo Foundation has received a $500,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust in support of the Oregon Zoos Steller Cove exhibit. This major new attraction at the zoo is scheduled to open in July 1999. The Trust grant will finance construction of a sea otter pool.
Steller Cove will feature two charismatic coastal species--sea otters and Steller's sea lions. Otters are among the most endearing of all wild animals and Steller's sea lions are the largest member of the pinniped family. These mammals will anchor an exhibit designed to build public awareness of marine ecology and conservation, and coastal issues of broad interest and importance.
Tony Vecchio, Oregon Zoo director, believes that "The Great Northwest Exhibit will be the most educationally significant addition to the zoo in the past 40 years. We are grateful to the Murdock Charitable Trust for their support of this important project."
The Oregon Zoo is working with federal and state wildlife agencies to obtain the necessary permits to exhibit southern sea otters. This sub-species was once thought to be extinct along the California coast and has been afforded protection as a threatened species. A 1998 census identified only 2,114 animals along the California coastlinea decline of 11% from 1995 levels.
The main otter pool will measure some 40 feet in diameter, 16 feet in depth, and will contain 60,000 gallons of salt water. A total of 48 linear feet of otter viewing area--at three locations--will be provided to visitors. Initially, two (and as many as four) of these playful marine mammals will be able to be seen above, at, and below the waterline as they roll and groom, doze on their backs, or work with trainers on a rocky outcrop.
A swim channel will enable the otters to access their two, 15,000 gallon off-exhibit pools without leaving the water. One pool will be available to serve as a maternity area as needed. Zoo research staff plan to conduct reproductive and behavioral studies of this species in captivity as part of an overall sea otter conservation and recovery effort.
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust was created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, who was a co-founder of Tektronix, Inc. Since its establishment in 1975, the Trust has focused its grantmaking efforts in five Pacific Northwest states. The Trusts mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Northwest by providing grants to organizations that seek to strengthen the regions educational and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways.
ZOO ATTENDANCE TOPS ONE MILLION
New animal exhibits and popular special events pushed the Oregon Zoos attendance to 1,161,284 visitors during 1999. That number is second only to 1962, the year that Packy was born.
The pachyderms birth brought in 1,211,170 spectators from all over the Northwest eager to see the first baby elephant born in the United States in 44 years. It wasnt until 1989 that the zoo topped the million mark again. Since then, the zoo has welcomed over a million guests in eight of the last eleven years.
The combination of ZooLights and a stretch of dry weather produced a record-high number of visitors this past December. The previous high of 78,439 was topped by 92,143.
Zoo Director Tony Vecchio gave credit to new zoo exhibits like Lorikeet Landing and the tree kangaroos for bringing out visitors in large numbers.
"Im very happy with the communitys strong support for the zoo and excited about future projects such as Steller Cove, the coastal waters exhibit thats scheduled to open in July 1999," said Vecchio.
"And dont forget that January is a great time to visit your zoo," Vecchio added. "Many of the animals are more active in the cooler months."
The Oregon Zoo continues to have the highest attendance of any paid tourist attraction in Oregon, according to the Portland Oregon Visitors Association. Only Multnomah Falls and Timberline Lodge, which are free, have more annual visitors.
CHENDRA GIVEN CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH
Chendra, the orphaned Malaysian elephant that arrived in Oregon on Nov. 20, has been cleared from quarantine. Dr. Mitch Finnegan, Oregon Zoo veterinarian, has given the pachyderm a clean bill of health and notes that she's fond of food.
"She's gaining about 40 pounds a week," says Finnegan. "The keepers have spent many hours working with Chendra, making her comfortable in her new home," the veterinarian added.
Animal management staff has created a plan to acclimate Chendra to her surroundings and the three other female elephants that reside at the zoo. The new arrival will first be familiarized with all of the rooms in the indoor facility. Eventually, separated by a "howdy gate," Chendra will have visual access to the cows and they will be able to touch trunks. When keepers feel that the herd is ready, Chendra and her new friends will have full access to each other.
Elephant keepers are hopeful that some of the final introductions can take place outdoors, but the weather will be a big factor. Chendra is not yet used to the Oregon climate.
Mike Keele, Oregon Zoo assistant director/curator says that the entire process will be up to Chendra. "We're establishing a common language so we can understand each," says Keele. "Chendra will call the shots and let us know when she's comfortable with the changes in her environment."
Currently, zoo officials do not know when Chendra will be on public view on a regular basis. It is hoped that in about two weeks, depending on Chendra's comfort level, she will be in the inside viewing room at scheduled times. That schedule will be announced as soon as it is determined.
YOWEE! SHE'S A GIRL
The tree kangaroo born at the Oregon Zoo over Mothers Day weekend is finally spending some quality time out of moms pouch. Keepers believe the baby is a female and have named her Yowee, after an aboriginal spirit that lives in the trees.
Blaze, the joeys mother, is 6 years old and went on exhibit last Dec. Nine-year-old Lombok is the father. Yowee is the first tree kangaroo born at the zoo.
Successful breeding was eagerly anticipated as tree kangaroos are highly endangered and the pair are not well represented in the captive population. It is the second offspring for mom and the first for dad.
Tree kangaroo gestation is 45 days and the joey popped her head out after 22 weeks. Yowee should be weaned and permanently leave her pouch around 14 months--sometime in July.
NOTE: Yowee seems to be most active in the early afternoon and the cute factor is very high.
Some of the world's most beautiful parrots will go on exhibit at the Oregon Zoo Aug. 7and visitors should have them eating right of their hand.
The brightly-colored and noisy birds, called lorikeets, will be housed in a new walk-through, open-air aviary, called Lorikeet Landing. Finishing touches are being put on the exhibit, located across from the tiger exhibit, adjacent to the insect zoo
"Our eventual target is for 100 birds," said Jan Steele, animal collection manager. "Most will be young birds and they will come from zoos and private breeders across the country."
Steele emphasized the small parrots are very sociable and enjoy being around people. She called them "natural clowns" and indicated the aviary will be "a high public contact area."
"Zoogoers are going to love them because lories are quite acrobatic, very vocal and always inquisitive about people," she added.
Because of this, visitors will be able to purchase small paper cups of "nectar" (actually fortified fruit juice) at the new aviary. Then, as they walk through it, the parrots will fly down and drink from the cups.
"Nectar is part of their regular diet but we won't want to overdo it," Steele said. "We'll probably offer the visitor cups to them maybe once a day, perhaps in early afternoon," Steele said.
Jon Brangan, the zoos exhibit coordinator, says the new 2,300 square foot aviary will be framed by 20-foot-tall steel posts and draped with wire mesh to form the walls and roof. The aviary includes a small holding building and covered shelter. It will also have a winding path that passes through a lush habitat.
Brangan reports that the zoo staff built the entire exhibit and will go from concept to opening in seven months. "Its very unusual for a zoo to do their own construction, but it gave us more control.
The zoo crew built a water feature in the exhibit as lories love to bathe and play in water. In the wild, they frequently will dive into a stream and after hitting it with their wings and bodies, fly to a nearby tree to preen.
There are over 50 known lorikeet species which are native to Australia, New Guinea and other South Pacific islands, the East Indies and Indonesia. Their plumage is very tight, glossy and brilliantly colored. Some of the birds will have rainbow colors, also bright reds with blue streaks, and some with green and yellow bodies.
The newcomers are among the smallest of parrots, standing some 5 to 8 inches tall with a 2-inch tail that is either rounded or square. The female usually lays two eggs which incubate in about a month. The fledglings grow a covering of gray down, obtaining their bright colors later.
Extremely prolific in the wild, the strictly arboreal lorikeets gather and travel in highly vocal flocks of several hundred birds as they move from one stand of flowering trees to another.
Apart from the need to drink or bathe, lorikeets have no reason to descend to the ground for all their food is found in trees. As a result, they play an important ecological role in pollinating the trees on which they feed, subsisting mainly on pollen, nectar and soft fruit. They have long, slender bills and long tongues, tipped with brush-like papillae, to probe into a tree's flowers.
On Aug. 7 and 8, visitors will receive a "passport" for six hands-on stations around the zoo highlighting the many adaptations in the avian world. Bird-watchers will get the chance to compare feathers with a microscope, examine and build nests, match beaks to food, look at eggs, and see how birds use their feet in different ways.
After completing the passport, visitors will be able to collect a special prize commemorating the opening of Lorikeet Landing.
Tony Vecchio, zoo director, believes that the Oregon Zoos lorikeet exhibit is the best in the country. "Visitors are really in for a treat," he said. "These are very friendly, very special birds, and the zoo has built a wonderful home for them that will provide great interaction between the public and the birds."
MEERKAT MOB MOVES INTO THE OREGON ZOO
It's small enough to fit into your coat pocket, brave enough to chase a jackal and hungry enough to eat a fat grub every few minutes. It's also a movie star.
It's called a meerkat and it's the critter who served as the model for the funny and audacious character named Timon in Walt Disney's "The Lion King."And five of them are coming to the Oregon Zoo from the Dallas, Texas Zoo. They will become part of a brand new exhibit that debuts July 2 in the Africa Treetops area.
Meerkat means marsh cat. But the meerkat is not a cat at all--and it doesn't live in a marsh either. In fact, it lives in the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa and it's closest relative is a mongoose.
Chris Pfefferkorn, the zoo's animal collection manager, says the new exhibit will feature "a lot of rock work" with ground level holes leading into several underground travel routes similar to the meerkats' desert domains. The exhibit was designed and built in-house.
The five meerkats at the Oregon Zoo were born in two different litters to the same parents at the Dallas Zoo. One group was born last year on Sept. 27 and included two males and a female. Two males were born last year on April 1.
Meerkats are small, lively creatures who are spotted brown and grayish in color. Adults weigh about two pounds and measure some 12 to 15 inches from head to toe. They dig for insects and lizards in the desert sand. Their favorite bugs are grubs and they also gobble down an occasional scorpion, immune to its venom.
If meerkats could talk, their motto would likely be, "One for all and all for one." In the arid, tough desert life they lead, meerkats survive because they work together.
Groups of upwards of 40 meerkats, called mobs or gangs, reside in grass-lined burrows. Predators exist everywhere, so meerkat sentries constantly scan the horizon for danger, barking out warnings if they spot an eagle, hyena, snake or jackal.
Very territorial, the meerkats fiercely defend their home. In the event of a predator attack, an entire colony will band together and start digging furiously to kick up a cloud of dust to distract the attacker.
Then, it is not uncommon for an entire group, using a stick-together trick, to advance toward the enemy in a series of mock attacks. They fluff out their fur, arch their backs and hold their tails straight up in the air. Bunched so close together that they appear like some giant meerkat, they begin jumping into the air while constantly growling, hissing and snarling aggressively. Many a confused jackal or hyena has retreated before such a belligerent "giant."
The Oregon Zoos meerkats will be on exhibit every day starting July 2. The zoos summer hours begin at 9 a.m. and the gates remain open until 6 p.m. Visitors can remain on the grounds until 7 p.m.