Community supported since 1888, Oregon Zoo provides exceptional experiences to guests to inspire them to create a better future for wildlife. From education programs to on-the-ground conservation efforts, the zoo is working to save species regionally and worldwide. The Oregon Zoo is community-funded through visitor admissions, public funds from Metro (a Portland-area regional government) and charitable donations to the Oregon Zoo Foundation. With more than 1.5 million guests a year, Oregon Zoo is the top paid attraction in the Pacific Northwest.
OREGON ZOOMission
The mission of Oregon Zoo is creating a better future for wildlife.The 64-acre Oregon Zoo is located in Portland, a city and surrounding metropolitan area of more than 2.4 million people.
The zoo's annual operating budget is derived from a tax base through Metro, the Portland-area regional government that is the zoo's governing body, plus zoo admissions, concessions, contributions, special promotions and grants. The Oregon Zoo Foundation, the zoo's philanthropic partner, is leading fundraising efforts to support the critical needs of the zoo during its limited-capacity reopening and the plays an integral role in supporting the zoo's animal welfare, conservation and education programs.
The land of the zoo, indeed this entire area of the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers, is the traditional homeland and fishing and gathering range of tribes throughout the region. Its wealth of resources sustained Indigenous people who lived here both year-round and seasonally. These tribes have honored, protected, and stewarded these resources for thousands of years and continue to do so today. Oregon Zoo honors with gratitude the land itself and the peoples who have cared for it since time immemorial. This calls all of us to commit to continuing to learn how to be better stewards of the land we call home.
Animals of the Oregon Zoo
- 2,585 individual animals represent 215 species or subspecies of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates*
- 15 endangered species and 7 threatened species live at the zoo.*
- The zoo is active in 62 Species Survival Plans.*
Plants of the Oregon Zoo
*Zoo animal data as of December 31, 2018. Second line references Endangered Species Act endangered and threatened species list.
- Native plants of the Pacific Northwest's temperate rainforests have been cultivated to create naturalistic exhibits, pathways and vistas within the zoo.
- More than 1,000 species of exotic plants thrive in the zoo's botanical gardens, including firebird heliconia, pelican flower and ground orchid. Some are harvested and given to the animals as browse.
