Samudra approaches 1st birthday celebration!

Samudra, the Oregon Zoo’s baby elephant, will turn one on August 23rd. A birthday celebration is being planned in his honor. On his birthday, he will get a cake made by the zoo’s executive chef, Paul Warner. The zoo will throw a party in his honor and all zoo visitors are invited!

As part of the birthday festivities, the zoo’s Elephant Plaza will be filled with a village of inflatable houses and slides for kids to play on. Guests who really want to get into the swing of things can wear a pair of elephant ears with “Happy Birthday” printed on them. Decorate-your-own-cupcakes will be available for purchase.

Born at the zoo Aug. 23, 2008, Sam had a rough start to life. His mother, Rose-Tu, became confused after giving birth and nearly trampled her baby before keepers quickly intervened.

Sam weighed 286 pounds at birth and since then has gained an average of about 20 pounds a week.

Sam was born as a part of the Oregon Zoo’s renowned breeding program for endangered Asian elephants. More than 25 calves have been born at the zoo, beginning with Packy in 1962. Samudra is the first third-generation elephant to be born in the United States.

Videos chronicling Rose-Tu’s pregnancy and Sam’s first year are available at: www.oregonzoo.org/Gallery/video-elephants.htm.

The zoo opens at 8 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. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus No. 63. Visitors who take the bus or 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 admission is $10.50 (12-64), seniors $9 (65+), children $7.50 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.