Remembering Packy

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - Winnie the Pooh

Packy - Photo Credit Oregon Zoo

Today is a sad day in Portland, OR. Oregon Zoo’s beloved elephant Packy, Oregon’s famous son, and possibly our most famous resident, was euthanized today after a losing battle with TB. At 54 years old, he was the oldest Asian elephant in North America and on April 14, 1962  he was the first elephant born in the United States in 44 years, and only the ninth since the first one came to America in 1796. A radio contest was held to name the new baby, and  Packy was already of voting age when I came along in 1981. The year Wyatt was born, Packy celebrated half a century on this planet. So many of my memories of the Oregon (and hopefully Wyatt’s as well) include Packy. I have attended many birthday parties for Packy, hoping in my heart of hearts, to have my name chosen to serve the big guy his cake (it never was), but that didn’t make me any less excited to see him enjoy it. I have watched his squish a giant pumpkin, move a giant log, squirt water from his trunk, and walk across his enclosure, seeming to strut his stuff for the crowd. I have observed him in many settings through my years attending the zoo, always larger than life. From the old The elephants were a must see in my family anytime we attended the zoo, and so many of my memories of Packy are intertwined with the memories of loved ones I visited the zoo with. It didn’t matter how many times I saw him, I was always in awe of how big he was, how strong he was. He inspired me to learn about elephants (did you know elephants have 4 knees??), and helped me to foster a lifelong love of the species. 

Wyatt in the Elephant Land's feeder 2015

I’m not the only one he had this affect on, Portland’s love of Packy was so ingrained, in 2008 a bond measure passed that gave the Oregon Zoo $125 million to improve zoo exhibits – part of this improvement would be the $53 million and 6 acre Elephant Lands exhibit. We were lucky enough to get to tour the new exhibit before it opened for the elephants, and I plan to tell Wyatt every time we visit about how he got to play inside the giant elephant feeder.  

Portlander’s hearts are broken today, but Packy changed the world for the better, he was instrumental in the improvements not only to our own zoo, but to elephant breeding programs across the world. My heart goes out to Bob Lee, Elephant Curator, and all his other caregivers at the Oregon Zoo, while we all feel the loss, they have truly lost a family member, and it will take time for that wound to heal.

Details of Packy’s Memorial Event have not been finalized, however in an email I received from the Oregon Zoo, they stated they are planning something later this month, and details will be available on the Oregon Zoo website http://www.oregonzoo.org/ and also on the Oregon Zoo Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/oregonzoo/

If you have memory of Packy to share - Wyatt and I would love to hear them in the comments!