Commemorating the life and legacy of Packy, Portland’s biggest celebrity, on the anniversary of his birth.
© Oregon Zoo, used with permission.
When I was a little girl, Packy 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’s Birthday Cake” by Zervas is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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 earlier this year, 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.
However, while his loss saddens 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.
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.
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.
VIDEO: Elephant Lands at the Oregon Zoo
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. (If you stop by this summer, be sure to look around for Miss Em: she’ll be volunteering as a ZooTeen again this year.)
Want to read more about Packy? I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of Packy & Me [affiliate link], 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
Aww may Packy Rest In Peace. As a person who holds a zoo membership to my local zoo I know how easy it is to become attached to the animals. It’s very sad when they are no longer there. That elephant habitat is very nice now! So sad when the animals have to live in small enclosures.
Thanks, Heather. Zoos have come a long way in the last few decades, but there’s always room for improvements.
RIP Packy – and how I loooove the old pics you dug up with Mr B though I noticed you seemed to have excluded a shot of yourself…
Just for you, Pech. {This is the closest that I could find to me with an elephant. Taken the same day.}
<3 <3 <3 Love it <3 <3 <3
What an amazing history of elephants you’ve had to grow up with. That’s so sad they put him down. I am so happy though that the enclosures are improving!
Such beautiful creatures! I love the zoo. A tiger just passed away this week at our zoo from cancer. So sad. May they Rest In Peace.
I’ve lived in Portland 2 years and I’m so mad at myself for never going to visit Packy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wow, it is crazy to see the difference in the enclosures from then til now. We really have come a long way when it comes to how we treat animals in captivity. A good friend of mine is a Zookeeper, so I will share this with her as I know she will love the read.
I am such an animal person that I can feel my heart just sink when I hear of animals passing (sorry about Packy) or not being treated right. I love elephants and hope that they can be protected better in the world.
We love visiting the zoos all around every where we go. What a special memory of Packy. I remember when an organatang passed away that was at one of the zoos I went to growing up, they had a beaitful rememberance for him.
Love this! We have been wanting to take our son to the zoo for a while now because I think he would LOVE it.
Oh my goodness. How bittersweet! I love your memories with Packy over the years. He was an adorable elephant!
I am so sad to to hear that Packy was ethunanized but happy that you got to share many birthdays together. What an incredible impression on culture he made x
I loved seeing that you had memories for so many years. I am so sorry that there was this loss though.
I love your throwback photos! Elephant Land looks like a wonderful space for the elephants.
I love elephants they are such cool animals. I have never gotten that close to one, but I would love to get to interact with them one day up close.
I love elephants they are such cool animals. I have never gotten that close to one, but I would love to get to interact with them one day up close.
It makes me sad to see how some zoos keep wild animals so confined just for viewing pleasure. This new elephant habitat looks a lot more like their natural habitat and gives them room to move and enjoy life.
I’m not big on keeping animals “behind bars”; nevertheless, a good zoo can do so much toward long-term conservation and education.
I have such love for elephants (I may be a little jealous of your birthday lol)! This is such a sweet memory post. What a fun memory to hold!
I am so sorry for the loss of Packy! I’m sure he brought hundreds and hundreds of smiles and made many children happy!
Awe this is such a sweet post, a sad ending for Packy, but still a sweet story about your love for him. I find elephants so fascinating!
Awwwww I just love elephants! Every time we go to our local zoo, they are always the highlight!!! So sad to hear of packy’s passing -/
What a wonderful tribute to Packy. It is so great to see that the zoo has Elephant Lands now and has adapted to the philosophy of animals having space and choice.