PORTLAND’S PACHYDERM PATRIARCH. For the 47th time, the Oregon Zoo celebrated the birthday of its beloved elephant Packy with a party. Packy — the oldest and largest Asian elephant in the U.S. — was born on April 14, 1962. The party, called Elephantastic, featured face painting, games and puzzles, music, and cake for humans. The birthday boy was treated to a 40-pound homemade concoction of whole wheat and pears topped with frosting and decorated with carrot and celery "candles." (AR Photo/Julie Stegeman)

From The Asian Reporter, V19, #17 (April 28, 2009), page 1 & 14.

By Julie Stegeman

For the 47th time, the Oregon Zoo celebrated the birthday of its beloved elephant Packy with a party. Packy — the oldest and largest Asian elephant in the U.S. — was born on April 14, 1962, making history as the first elephant to be born in the Western Hemisphere in 45 years and inspiring an 11-page story in Life magazine. Since then, more than 25 calves have been born at the Oregon Zoo, including the latest addition, Samudra, last August.

Packy’s party, called Elephantastic, was held at the zoo on April 18. Children had an opportunity to don elephant ears to get into the spirit of the celebration, which featured face painting, games and puzzles, and music. A giant card was available for kids to express birthday wishes for the honored elephant.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of a special cake to Packy. The confection was made by the zoo’s executive chef and consisted of a 40-pound base made of whole wheat and pears topped with frosting and decorated with carrot and celery "candles." On previous birthdays, Packy’s cake had been frosted with peanut butter, but bucking the stereotype of elephants and peanuts, he didn’t much care for it and would either ignore the cake or throw it around. The chef consulted with zoo veterinarians to create a cake with a sweet frosting for this once-a-year treat, which the discriminating pachyderm apparently finds delicious.

Before the cake was offered, Chendra, one of the female Asian elephants, warmed up the crowd with her repertoire of tricks while the Billings Senior High School touring band, which travelled from Montana, played a set. When the cake was brought out and the audience sang "Happy Birthday," Packy — with an alacrity that was somewhat surprising in one of the zoo’s more venerable residents — made his way out to the elephant viewing area where his cake awaited. Packy made short work of the cake, eating with great gusto. Audience members were treated to cake made for humans, provided by Lamb’s Wilsonville Market.

Elephantastic also honors Packy’s artistic son Rama, who turned 26 at the beginning of April. Rama has the special talent of creating colorful paintings by blowing nontoxic, egg-based paint across canvas using his trunk. Art by Rama was available for purchase at a special "trunk show" held in conjunction with the event.

The Oregon Zoo is currently home to a herd of seven Asian elephants: bulls Packy, Rama, Tusko, and Samudra and cows Sung-Surin (Shine), Rose-Tu, and Chendra. Asian elephants are endangered — with an estimated population of only about 35,000 individuals worldwide, according to the zoo. They are chiefly threatened by conflicts with humans resulting from elephants’ incursions into and subsequent destruction of cultivated crops.

Asian elephants range in height from seven to 12 feet tall and can weigh as much as 14,300 pounds.

In addition to being from different parts of the globe, Asian elephants differ from their African counterparts by having smaller ears, a rounded back, only a single appendage at the end of their trunks, and tusks grown only by bulls.

The Oregon Zoo, located at 4001 S.W. Canyon Road in Portland, is open daily from 9:00am to 7:00pm. For more information, call (503) 226-1561 or visit <www.oregonzoo.org>.