Oregon Zoo has Broken its All-time Calendar-year Attendance Record

By Bill LaMarche

Portland, OR - For the fourth year in a row, and the fifth time in the past six years, the Oregon Zoo has broken its all-time calendar-year attendance record, with 1,612,359 visitors in 2009. This marks the first time zoo attendance has topped 1.6 million in a calendar year. The previous record, set in 2008, was 1,594,015 visitors.

"To achieve record attendance again, especially in such a tight economy, is very remarkable," said Metro Council President David Bragdon. "It's a strong testament to our community's support of the zoo. The zoo not only provides a rich family experience but also funds many conservation and education programs aimed at creating a better future for wildlife."

An already impressive attendance year was capped off by ZooLights, which had its own record turnout this winter. From Nov. 27 to Dec. 31, more than 125,000 visitors came to see the popular light display -- a figure that might have been even higher if last week's surprise snowstorm hadn't forced the zoo to cancel a night. For the entire run, which ended Jan. 3, ZooLights attendance totaled 138,597. The previous best for the festival, set in 2006, was 130,603 visitors.

Zoo attendance got off to a fast start in 2009, with its best January ever (nearly 60,000 visitors). Events such as Elephantastic and Bear Fair helped bring in big numbers during the spring, and summer at the zoo was characteristically busy, with more than 200,000 visitors in both July and August. The summer concert series was a big draw, with capacity crowds taking in shows by the B-52s, Tears for Fears, the Indigo Girls and more.

But the lion's share of people -- if not the most visitors -- arrived toward summer's end. Beginning Labor Day weekend, huge crowds turned out to see the zoo's new Predators of the Serengeti exhibit showcasing lions, cheetahs and African wild dogs. A record 164,071 visitors passed through the gates in September, even more than turned out last year to see the baby elephant, Samudra.

After such a successful 2009, Bragdon looks forward to an even better 2010. In May, the zoo plans to unveil "Prehistoric Predators," a blockbuster summer exhibit that will once again bring lifelike robotic dinosaurs to the zoo. (In 2008, "Dinosaurs!" -- featuring a fearsome life-size T. rex and more than 20 other prehistoric creatures -- proved the most popular temporary exhibit in the zoo's history.) Also set to open this summer is Red Ape Reserve, a new orangutan and white-cheeked gibbon exhibit that will more than triple the orangs' current space and allow Inji, Batik and Kutai year-round outdoor access for the first time at the Oregon Zoo.

"We attract large audiences because of our commitment to offering new exhibits and programs," Bragdon said. "With dinosaurs returning to the zoo in May and the highly anticipated opening of Red Ape Reserve, I'm confident we'll continue to be the best-attended zoo in the Pacific Northwest."

The first time the zoo's attendance topped a million was during 1962, the year Packy was born. The baby pachyderm, born that April, helped draw 1,211,170 visitors, eager to see the first elephant born in the United States in 44 years. It wasn't until 1989 that the zoo broke the million mark again. Since then, the zoo has welcomed more than a million guests in 18 of the past 21 years.

The Oregon Zoo continues to have the highest attendance of any fee-based tourist attraction in Oregon.

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 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. Zoo 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.

Photo caption: A young visitor enjoys a moment with the Oregon Zoo's orangutans. Red Ape Reserve, a new orang exhibit set to open this year, could help zoo attendance reach another record in 2010. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.

OREGON ZOO MONTHLY ATTENDANCE - 2009

January 59,991 (monthly record)
February 62,389
March 85,946
April 142,359 (second-best ever)
May 188,446 (monthly record)
June 183,792 (third-best ever)
July 200,327
August 229,519
September 164,071 (monthly record)
October 82,030
November 80,068
December 132,791 (second-best ever)

Oregon Zoo " 4001 SW Canyon Rd. " Portland, Oregon 97221 " 503-226-1561

To view Oregon Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-382-Oregon_Zoo