PORTLAND — Celebrating a birthday is Samudra, the Oregon Zoo’s youngest elephant. The Asian elephant calf turned 3 years old Tuesday, and keepers say he weighs nearly 3,000 pounds. They say Sam maintains his impressive growth rate by nursing and eating lots of hay and produce. On the fresh food front, he reportedly prefers fruit to vegetables. He and his mother, Rose-Tu, are offered 100 pounds of fresh food daily.

On Tuesday morning, visitors attended a keeper talk and watched Sam enjoy his birthday cake.

The Oregon Zoo’s successful Asian elephant breeding program has spanned nearly 50 years. More than 25 elephants have been born at the zoo, beginning with Packy in 1962.

— From wire reports