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PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Oregon Zoo said
goodbye to African lions 10 years ago, and today it is working hard to "bring
back the roar." Thanks to a major pledge of $125,000 from the Jay and Diane
Zidell Charitable Foundation, the roar is getting louder.
The recent gift brings the campaign total to more than $4.7 million of the $5
million needed to build the new 50,000-square-foot Predators of the Serengeti
exhibit.
"This gracious gift from the Jay and Diane Zidell Charitable Foundation brings
us closer to realizing our dream of bringing lions back to Portland," said Tony
Vecchio, zoo director. "Their sponsorship of the Discovery Center portion of the
exhibit will help our children make connections with Africa's most important
predators."
The Discovery Center at the Predators of the Serengeti exhibit is a multipurpose
room featuring hands-on artifacts, puzzles and games where children can play and
make discoveries by doing.
"As longtime supporters of the Oregon Zoo, we are truly excited to contribute
toward not only what promises to be an amazing new exhibit, but also toward the
further awareness this new exhibit will provide for the endangered status of
some African predators," said the Zidells. "It is our privilege to help 'bring
back the roar' to Oregon, and we look forward with eager anticipation to seeing
this exhibit open in 2009."
The lions will not be alone when they return to the Oregon Zoo in 2009.
Predators of the Serengeti celebrates African predators large and small,
including cheetahs, wild dogs, red-billed hornbills, dwarf mongooses and
caracals.
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 pygmy
rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles and Kincaid's
lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar
bears and bats.
The zoo opens at 9 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.
Caption: African lions have not been seen at the Oregon Zoo for more than 10
years. That will change when Predators of the Serengeti opens in summer 2009.
Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy Oregon Zoo.
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