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ZOO CELEBRATES ANIMALS, CULTURES FROM AROUND WORLD

World Animal Festival will include crafts, storytelling and music

What: A preview of World Animal Festival activities, which celebrate the many ways animals influence cultures, beliefs and customs around the globe. During the preview, the zoo's wild dogs (10:30 a.m.), cheetah (10:50 a.m.), tigers (11:10 a.m.) and leopard (11:30 a.m.) will receive treat-filled papier-mâché globes.

When: Thursday, Sept. 23, at 10:30 a.m.

Globetrotters on a budget can see the world without leaving Portland during the Oregon Zoo's 12th annual World Animal Festival, Saturday, Sept. 25, and Sunday, Sept. 26. The festival, sponsored by KINK.fm, celebrates the many ways animals influence cultures, beliefs and customs around the globe. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and all activities are free with zoo admission.

This year's celebration will include a kid-friendly migration activity that demonstrates how birds travel between continents. It will also highlight how bird migration may be impacted by the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

"Migratory birds are an important part of our ecosystem," said Kim Smith, zoo director. "Many birds winter along the Gulf of Mexico and will be affected by the oil spill. It is important for our zoo to show how these animals migrate and what dangers they face not only during the journey but once they arrive."

The multicultural festival provides a chance to discover more about wildlife and the unique places where animals live. Visitors can enjoy live music and dance from around the world, learn about the threats animals face in the wild and watch the zoo's wild dogs, cheetah, Amur tigers and Amur leopard interact with culturally inspired enrichment items.

For creative types, there will be a Maasai craft station at Predators of the Serengeti, Russian craft activities at Black Bear Ridge and Indonesian theater-mask making at the zoo's new Red Ape Reserve exhibit. Cougar Crossing will feature Native American storytelling.

In honor of Sea Otter Awareness Week, which begins Sept. 26, keepers at the zoo's Steller Cove exhibit will discuss the role this endangered animal plays in marine ecosystems as well as some interesting facts about otter physiology.

Visitors can also commemorate International Tiger and Leopard Conservation Day by playing a tiger- and leopard-print matching game, investigating a map of cats from around the world and learning about the animals of the Chinese zodiac — 2010 is the Year of the Tiger.

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, Washington's 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.