How do you transport a recently-deceased elephant, who weighs more than six tons and who is infected with a highly contagious disease, from the zoo in the west hills of Portland to his secret burial site some 90 minutes away without anyone knowing?

The answer: very carefully.

When Packy, the 54-year-old iconic elephant at the Oregon Zoo, was euthanized last month after a long battle with drug-resistant tuberculosis, the zoo had a number of plans in place.

One of those plans was how to get Packy, who weighed in excess of 12,000 pounds when he died, from the zoo to his final resting place in secret.

According to a draft of the transportation plan obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request, things were set in motion Feb. 8, the day before Packy died. An "incident commander" was assigned to the plan, which was cryptically called the "Large Animal Activity Plan." The weather was checked and roads were assessed to make sure the heavy equipment necessary to move the old bull would be able to access the site, an undisclosed location in Clackamas County that the zoo has used to bury other elephants in the past.

"If road conditions are acceptable, (deputy zoo director) Sheri (Horiszny) will inform the ... team after noon on Wednesday 2/8 that the procedure will occur the following day," the document states. "A grief counselor has been arranged."

Staff arrived at the burial site at 3:30 a.m. on the day of Packy's death and again assessed conditions before giving the final go-ahead to veterinarians who would perform the procedure. Workers at the site were given talking points in case curious members of the public got too close.

"This is a Metro-owned property. I don't have any information about activities or plans regarding this property," they were told to say. "I am paid contractor of Metro and don't have any information."

Meanwhile in Portland, portions of the zoo were cordoned off around the same time and "zoo public safety officers" were given similar pre-packaged responses, among them:

"This entrance/section of the zoo is currently closed to the public and zoo staff."

"Projects are underway that require minimum traffic in and around this area of the zoo at this time. Full access will be available at 11 am. Please check back then."

"[If a member of the news media arrives asking questions or request to enter] All media contacts are required to go through (the zoo's public relations official)."

"[If pressed for more information] My job is to secure this location. I don't have any information for you."

A large box and a heavy-duty crane were positioned behind the zoo's concert stage and two other vehicles were brought in to form a caravan to transport Packy.

The euthanasia procedure got underway around 4:20 a.m. in the yard where Packy had been quarantined, and cameras or other recording devices were strictly prohibited. Only four people, including senior zoo veterinarian Mitch Finnegan and Packy's long-time keeper Bob Lee, were present and all were required to wear "personal protective equipment" due to the highly contagious nature of Packy's tuberculosis.

The procedure lasted just over an hour and Packy was pronounced dead at 5:26 a.m. "Time will be provided for the keeper team to say goodbye," according to the planning document.

Everyone involved, from the contractors working at the burial site to the support staff at the zoo, was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Packy was loaded onto the truck and special care was taken to make sure all activities were hidden from public view.

"Box liners/tarps are ready and will be used to shield direct lines of sight at all times when activity is near exterior openings or out of doors," according to the plan. "Activities will be conducted in a thoughtful and respectful manner with dignity as an important consideration after human safety."

Equipment at the zoo was disinfected and the caravan got underway with zoo staff in vehicles both in front and behind the truck. Secrecy was paramount.

"Adequate covering and distance will be maintained at all times," the plan reads. "No clothing or vehicles should indicate Oregon Zoo."

Once the caravan arrived at the burial site -- a Metro-owned, undisclosed location in Clackamas County -- workers took up positions at the gate to again ward off any curious onlookers.

"This area is restricted to only Metro personnel who have been pre-authorized to enter," they were told to say. "Metro owns this natural area and is conducting work on the property for the duration of the day. I don't have information about specifics."

The zoo got approval to bury Packy there from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in December.

"The hauling box will be lowered from the truck and the animal removed and placed in the identified location," the plan said. "Box liners/tarping materials will be used to shield direct lines of sight at all times."

No necropsy was performed because Packy's strain of tuberculosis was so virulent, zoo staff said. It was unclear from the document how big his grave was, but it required an excavator to dig.

Packy was lowered into his final resting place, buried and the site was covered in straw to protect the soil from erosion. The whole burial process took around two hours.

-- Kale Williams

kwilliams@oregonian.com

503-294-4048