Oregon Zoo Announces 2008 Father of the Year
Posted at 4:03 pm June 13, 2008 by admin
For Immediate Release
June 13, 2008
Packy is 2008 Zoo Father of the Year
PORTLAND, Ore. — Father’s Day isn’t until Sunday, but Oregon Zoo is announcing Packy as Zoo Father of the Year for 2008 a few days early. The Asian elephant dad was the overall winner with nearly 45 percent of the online votes, squeaking by last by last year’s winner Atishwin, a California condor, with 41 percent. Kiku, a colobus monkey, was the third runner-up with 14 percent.
“Packy is a the most famous animal at our Zoo, so it’s only natural that he’d be chosen as father of the year,” said Tony Vecchio, Oregon Zoo director.
Forty-six-year-old Packy is dad to Sung-Surin (Shine) and Rama, both 25-years-old.
“We just finished a campaign for Zoo Mother of the Year, and found it was a fun way to initiate a relationship between the public and the highlighted animals,” said Vecchio. “As the public reads about the nominees, all of which belong to species that are either threatened or endangered, we hope they’ll come to understand and care about the challenges facing these animals in the wild.”
The Zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the Zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington’s pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid’s lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.
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 to the Oregon Zoo. Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive $1 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.
General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (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 $1 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.
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Oregon Zoo ̈ 4001 SW Canyon Rd. ̈ Portland, Oregon 97221 ̈ 503-226-1561
Contacts: Bill LaMarche 503-220-2448 (office) or 503-497-5812 (pager)
Linda D’Ae-Smith 503-220-5716 (office) or 503-441-7573 (pager)
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