Remembering Packy the Elephant

Modified: Jan 19, 2024 · Published: Apr 14, 2017 by Renée B. · This post may contain affiliate links · 25 Comments

Commemorating the life and legacy of Packy, Portland's biggest celebrity, on the anniversary of his birth.

Baby Packy at the Portland Zoo, 1962. © Oregon Zoo, used with permission.

When I was a little girl, Packy the Elephant was the biggest celebrity in town - an international superstar even. But like most Portland kids who grew up in the 60's and 70's, to me Packy was more than just our Zoo's most famous resident - he was a member of the family.

Packy made his entrance into the world and the hearts of children everywhere on April 14, 1962, weighing in at a dainty 225 pounds.

Packy was the first elephant born in captivity in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years; a status that garnered him, among other things, an 11-page spread in Life magazine, a song written for and dedicated to him, countless reproductions of his image on everything from coffee mugs to parade floats, and a life-time supply of pachyderm-sized, carrot-topped birthday cakes.

Packy - Portland Zoo | The Good Hearted Woman

Packy's birthday was exactly one month and one week before mine, so during the earliest years of my life, his city-wide celebration became my cue that my own birthday was just around the corner.

I fondly remember going to the zoo as a child, elephant-shaped zoo-key in hand, and begging my grandpa for change to buy peanuts to toss to Packy and the other elephants. (Times do change, don't they?) I had a little plastic Packy purse and a bright yellow Zoo-train whistle imprinted with his likeness.

Over the years, Portland jubilantly welcomed each of Packy's seven calves, beginning with Me-Tu - the world's first baby elephant to be born from second-generation, zoo-born parents. (Sadly, Packy outlived all but one of his offspring: daughter Sung-Surin ("Shine"), born in 1982, still lives at the Oregon Zoo.)

In fact, Packy was a constant in my world from the day I was born until, in a controversial move in 2017, he was euthanized after failing to respond to treatments for drug-resistant tuberculosis. February 9, 2017 marked a profoundly sad day for everyone in the Rose City.

"Packy's Birthday Cake" by Zervas is licensed under CC BY 2.0

While his loss saddened our hearts, Packy left a great and enduring legacy - one that will ultimately continue to inspire and educate the Oregon Zoo's 1.6 million annual visitors about elephant research and conservation for generations to come.

Elephant Lands: Preserving the Packy's Legacy

About a year ago, Em and I had an opportunity to go to the opening of the new Elephant Lands at the Portland Zoo. As someone who has lived in this city for a very long time, I remember what the old elephant enclosure was like... (No, not the one you remember from a few years ago - that was a major improvement over the one I grew up visiting. I mean this one ↓ all stark, sterile, and barren.)

A lot has changed at the Oregon Zoo since 1980...including Mr B. (I took these pictures. It may or may not have been a school day.)

Recalling the not-so-good ol' days, I was deeply heartened to see that, with the opening of Elephant Lands, these gentle giants finally have a home where they can live with a generous measure of joy and dignity.

Elephant Lands reflects the Zoo's philosophy that all animals' lives should be filled with choice. The new habitat includes time-released feeders, mud wallows, and plenty of water features - including a 160,000-gallon pool - all designed to encourage elephants to be active 14-16 hours a day, just as they would in their natural environment.

Elepant Lands at the Portland Zoo | The Good Hearted Woman

A thick covering of sand blankets the entire elephant habitat; (thankfully) a far cry from the unforgiving, often blistering cement floors of days gone by.

Indoor areas feature natural flooring and state-of-the-art heating and ventilation systems, and the herd can move inside and outside at will.

Elephant Lands at the Portland Zoo | The Good Hearted Woman

Forest Hall offers a spacious, inside viewing area, as well as an educational area that highlights the 5,000-year-old history of the human-elephant relationship around the world.

Together, the Elephant Building and Forest Hall form one of the largest indoor elephant facilities in the world.

Elephant Lands at the Oregon Zoo (Video)

I was so impressed by the new facility that I put together this short video ↓ of our visit. I hope you enjoy it!

If you live in or are planning to visit the Portland area, I encourage you to visit our Zoo soon. There's always something new to see and learn. (Our Miss Em volunteered as a ZooTeen for five summers!)

Want to read more about Packy? Be sure to pick up a copy of Packy & Me, a fascinating account by Dr. Matthew Maberry, the doctor who delivered and cared for Packy for many years.

"Packy" by Sandro Lombardo is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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About Renée B.

Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.