December 17-18: Presents For Primates @ Oregon Zoo
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From Press Release:
Presents For Primates
December 17-18, 2011 | 10:30am | General Zoo Admission
The Oregon Zoo
4001 SW Canyon Rd Portland, OR 97221
More info: www.oregonzoo.org
Oregon Zoo primates will celebrate the holidays a little early this year. Chimpanzees and orangutans will receive food-filledgift boxes and quilts from their Secret Santas - i.e., zoo primate keepers -- at the annual Presents for Primates, Saturday, Dec. 17 (chimps), and Sunday, Dec. 18 (orangs), at 10:30 a.m.
¬Å“Zoo animals receive enrichment year round, but when it comes to the holiday season, we've developed this great tradition of giving the primates themed items that are fun for visitors, too,¬Â said Dave Thomas, senior primate keeper. ¬Å“The orangutans' and chimpanzees' gifts encourage them to use their foraging skills - they'll have to work and think to get the food out of their presents.¬Â
Members of the zoo's volunteer enrichment team create the festive enrichment items, while keepers and zoo veterinarians plan the contents. The primates' food treats will include popcorn, cereal, raisins and other dried fruit. All of the enrichment items are made from nontoxic materials.
¬Å“The animals get very excited at Presents for Primates and can get carried away,¬Â Thomas said. ¬Å“After they eat the food in their presents, they sometimes start chewing on the presents themselves. We make sure everything the chimps and orangs receive is safe to eat, just in case.¬Â
In addition to presents, the primates will receive a holly wreath, candlestick and other holiday items made from braided cardboard andpaper, as well as a cardboard train with lots of hiding places for tasty treats.
In the wild, orangutans and chimpanzees forage for food throughout the day, and enrichment items like these gifts challenge them to use their foraging skills. This is the 10th year the primates have received boxed and wrapped food items for the holidays, but providing enrichment is a routine task for zookeepers. The Oregon Zoo is known internationally for its enrichment programs, which encourage natural behaviors and keep animals mentally and physically stimulated. Enrichment is tailored to the needs of specific animals by the zoo's keepers and volunteer enrichment team.
Zoo visitors can also enjoy the holiday season at ZooLights, which runs through Jan. 1. Presented by Fred Meyer with support from The Boeing Company, ZooLights has delighted visitors for more than two decades with its dazzling light displays featuring life-size animal silhouettes and moving light sculptures.
The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot and Taylor's checkerspot 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. Visitors who travel to the zoo via 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 (ages 12-64), $9 for seniors (65 and up), $7.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 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.
