Thanks to baby elephant Samudra and a dinosaur exhibit last summer, attendance at the Oregon Zoo set a record with 1.6 million visitors for the fiscal year ending June 30.

Director Tony Vecchio said attendance might have been higher for the 122-year-old zoo had not there been severe snowstorms in December that forced closure of the popular ZooLights winter light show.

Metro executive David Bragdon said “with work under way on the new Red Ape Reserve exhibit and the highly anticipated opening of Predators of the Serengeti this fall, I'm very optimistic that we'll continue to be the most well-attended zoo in the Pacific Northwest."

The zoo first reached a million visitors in the 1962 fiscal year with the birth of Packy, the first elephant born in captivity in the U.S. in 44 years. The zoo didn’t hit the million mark again until 1988 and since, has reached the mark in 17 of the last 20 years.

Entrance to the zoo is $10.50 for adults and children 12 or older; $9 for senior; $7.50 for kids age 3 to 11 and infants under 2 are free. Go here to help on riding the bus or Tri-Met. Using mass transit entitles you to a $1.50 discount off admission.