On August 23, 2008, Rose-Tu, the granddaughter of the zoo's first elephant Rosy, gave birth to a son named Samudra.

[5][24][25] In 1976, area voters approved a tax levy plan under which the zoo was taken over by the Metropolitan Service District (or MSD, now known as Metro).

[2] On February 9, 2017, Oregon Zoo staff decided to euthanize Packy after a long struggle with drug-resistant tuberculosis.

[35] These include eastern black rhinos, bontebok, Speke's gazelle, naked mole-rats, red-tailed monkeys, Masai and reticulated giraffe, and African spurred tortoises.

On November 30, 2012, at 2:17 a.m., Rose-Tu and the late Tusko (who are also the parents of Samudra) had a female calf Lily, weighing about 300 lbs (136 kg) at birth.

[41][42] Cascade Canyon Trail connects each of the exhibits, except Steller Cove, and includes a suspension bridge that offers views of Black Bear Ridge.

[43] Opened in 1998, Cascade Crest is a mountain-like exhibit made mostly of basalt and features a snow cave, cirque lake, and twisted alpine trees.

Opened in 2004 at a cost of $1 million, animals are presented by high school students who also explain local farming historical trends, technology, and demonstrate related activities such as composting, shearing, and agriculture.

[52] The $11 million exhibit opened in 2000 and includes a tide pool and kelp forest populated with harbor seals and sea otters.

Some of the species include Australian walking sticks, emperor scorpions, giant African millipedes, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and Mexican redknee tarantulas.

[54] Opened in 2021, Polar Passage features polar bears in an exhibit modeled on the Arctic tundra and coast that includes naturalistic landscaping, tundra plants, elevated areas for long views, shallow and deep saltwater pools, and areas to accommodate family groups.

[55] The Primate Forest contains Red Ape Reserve, a 2010 indoor/outdoor exhibit housing Bornean and Sumatran orangutans and northern white-cheeked gibbons, and a chimpanzee indoor/outdoor habitat that opened in 2021.

[58][59] The zoo also houses some behind the scenes animals such as Blue and Gold macaws, rabbits, Toucans, reptiles, a kinkajou, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, and a two toed sloth.

[60] The Washington Park light rail station provides regional public transit access to the Oregon Zoo.

[62] Through its Future for Wildlife grants program, the zoo funds projects that directly contribute to the survival, health and welfare of free-living populations and ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.

[66] The zoo's Integrated Conservation Action Plan (ICAP) centers on four regions: Pacific Northwest, Arctic, Southeast Asia and West Africa.

The captive rearing project works in collaboration with regional zoos and aquariums to save Pacific Northwest frog species imperiled by loss of habitat, invasive predators and the deadly chytrid fungus, which has quickly spread from Africa to threaten amphibian populations worldwide.

[81] Infant pond turtles are collected and raised in the project lab at the zoo until they large enough to be safely released back into the wild.

[84] In 2019, the Oregon Zoo successfully bred a captive silverspot butterfly for the first time in the world, producing in 269 viable offspring.

[90] The alliance focuses on enhancing scientific knowledge of elephant ecology and conservation status and reducing human-animal conflict in the Kinabatangan River area through community outreach, public policy, and use of technology.

In recent years, Oregon Zoo’s work with HUTAN-KOCP has focused primarily on forest preservation and reforestation for the benefit of both elephants and orangutans.

[97] The incident stirred a public outcry against the men, including the victim of the mauling[98] and sparked a wave of donations to replace the lions.

[100] The handler was dismissed by the zoo and sentenced to two years probation and 120 hours of community service, the most severe punishment allowed by state laws at the time.

As fallout from this incident, Animal Legal Defense Fund authored the Rose-Tu law, signed by Governor John Kitzhaber in 2001.

[103] After widespread public outcry, the zoo raised funds to acquire both Tusko and Lily from Have Trunk Will Travel for $400,000 in February 2013.

[104] In May 2014, then-director Kim Smith and lead veterinarian Dr. Mitch Finnegan were dismissed by Metro, the agency governing the Zoo, over alleged lapses in protocols following the death of Kutai, a 20-year-old orangutan, during surgery.

[106] In June 2014, six tamarin monkeys died two days after arriving at the zoo from Harvard's New England Primate Research Center.

The incident, along with previous primate deaths in Massachusetts, prompted a USDA investigation of the Harvard center that had transported the monkeys.

[109] The organization and their goals have been met with support from activists and celebrities such as Bob Barker and Lilly Tomlin,[110] but has been criticized by experts such as Dr. Senthilvel K.S.S.

Nathan, from Malaysia's Sabah Wildlife Department, particularly in response to the call for removal of the zoo's critically endangered Borneo elephant, Chendra.