Oregon Zoo
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Asian elephants at the zoo
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| Date opened | 1888 |
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| Location | Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°30′30″N 122°42′53″W / 45.50833°N 122.71472°WCoordinates: 45°30′30″N 122°42′53″W / 45.50833°N 122.71472°W |
| Land area | 64 acres (26 ha) |
| Number of animals | 1,955 |
| Number of species | 232 |
| Annual visitors | 1.6 million (2013) |
| Memberships | AZA |
| Major exhibits | The Great Northwest, Predators of the Serengeti, Africa Rainforest, Steller Cove, Elephant Lands |
| Website | www |
The Oregon Zoo, formerly the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo in Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of Downtown Portland, the zoo is inside Portland's Washington Park, and includes the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge Washington Park & Zoo Railway that connects to the International Rose Test Garden inside the park. Opened in 1888 after a private animal collector donated his animals to the City of Portland, the 64-acre (26 ha) zoo is now owned by the regional Metro government.
A member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, it has species survival plans for twenty-one endangered/threatened species, among which are successful breeding programs for endangered California condors, Asian elephants, and in recent times, African lions too. (The latter was under recommendation by the AZA). The zoo also boasts an extensive plant collection throughout its animal exhibits and specialized gardens. During the summer it is host to a concert series, and in the winter produces ZooLights, a holiday light show. The Oregon Zoo is Oregon's largest paid and arguably most popular attraction, with more than 1.6 million visitors in 2008 to 2009.
The Oregon Zoo was founded in 1888, making it the oldest North American zoo west of the Mississippi. It all began with two bears purchased by Richard Knight, one brown bear and one grizzly. A former seaman turned pharmacist, Knight began collecting animals from his seafaring friends. He kept his collection in the back of his drug store on Third & Morrison streets. When caring for the animals became too large a responsibility he sought to sell them to the city of Portland. Instead of buying the animals, the city offered to give Knight two circus cages and allowed him to place the caged bears on the grounds of City Park (now called Washington Park).
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