The Oregonian photo

The Oregonian

A whole family of elephants at the Oregon Zoo in Portland spent most of the time in the water cooling off last week. Lily, the baby, seemed to have the most fun, continuously diving into the water while splashing around and into her mom, Rose-Tu, and brother, Samudra.

It was hot across Oregon last week. In the state’s northwest corner, complex atmospheric conditions sent temperatures soaring up near 100 degrees before it cooled off into the holiday weekend. By Monday, in Portland, it could be 90 again.

More zoo news: Do you know what it means when an elephant lowers its head and folds its trunk underneath it, or when a zebra wuffles, or when a red fox screams bloody murder? A veterinarian named Vint Virga does, and he’s very likely the only vet in the country whose full-time job is tending to the psychological welfare of animals in captivity. Story on C7