Who: Metro Council President David Bragdon and Chriki (rhymes with "freaky"), the Oregon Zoo's spiny little hedgehog.
What: Chriki looks for her shadow to determine whether the Northwest will have an extended winter or early spring.
Where: Oregon Zoo's entry plaza.
When: Monday, Feb. 2, at 10:30 a.m.
To see video of a previous year's Hedgehog Day festivities, visit www.oregonzoo.org/VideoArchive/HedgehogDay.htm.
ZOO TO PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL: YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A GROUNDHOG!
Oregon Zoo's old-school prognosticator gears up for annual Hedgehog Day prediction
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil and Canada's Wiarton Willie may be better known, but Chriki the hedgehog is the one to watch at the Oregon Zoo. The spiny little creature, whose name is Swahili for "blessed," makes her annual prediction Monday, Feb. 2, at 10:30 a.m. in the zoo's entry plaza: Will the Northwest be blessed with an early spring this year, or should we hunker down for six more weeks of winter?
"The groundhog is a relative newcomer to the prognosticating game," said Metro Council President David Bragdon, who will oversee the Hedgehog Day festivities. "Historically, the hedgehog was used in this centuries-old European tradition, but immigrants to North America discovered there were no hedgehogs in their new homeland. They substituted the groundhog, but being purists, we're going back to the original critter."
To watch highlights from a previous year's Hedgehog Day at the zoo, visit www.oregonzoo.org/VideoArchive/HedgehogDay.htm.
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 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. 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 $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.
