Endangered species

In 1912, Griffith Park Zoo opened in Griffith Park, Los Angeles (USA). Straight from its inception, it was a popular leisure destination for residents of Los Angeles. However, as the years progressed, it became obvious that more space was required to fulfil the various needs of animals and so the entire zoo was moved 3 km north to a new location within Griffith Park in 1966. It was renamed Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens after the move. More on its predecessors here.

The Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (L.A. Zoo) has a rich history of conservation, innovation, and community engagement, beginning in 1966 with its relocation to its current site in Griffith Park. The grand opening on 28 November 1966 was a civic event attended by the mayor and other dignitaries, and over the decades, the zoo has grown into a globally recognized leader in wildlife conservation and education.

From its early days, the L.A. Zoo has been intensively involved with captive breeding and conservation efforts. The arrival of a male harpy eagle (from Peru’s Parque las Leyenda) in 1966 together with the acquisition of a female from northern Ecuador in 1970 marked the beginning of a successful breeding programme that produced the first harpy eagle chicks in the U.S.A. already in 1970. A year later, the zoo’s dedication to species preservation earned it its first Edward H. Bean Award (named after the first director of Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo), recognizing the captive hatching of the rare dog-toothed cat snake. This was followed by other notable achievements, including contributions to the California condor recovery programme.

Beyond conservation, the zoo’s connection to the community has been a central theme. The first fundraising gala in 1971, co-chaired by Gloria Stewart (wife of actor Jimmy Stewart), laid the foundation for what became the annual “Beastly Ball,” one of L.A.'s most anticipated charity events, raising millions for the zoo's projects. Over the years, the zoo has also been involved in cultural exchanges, such as the 1976 gift of Japanese serows from Los Angeles' sister city, Nagoya, marking another milestone in international animal exhibits.

The zoo's groundbreaking work continued with historical firsts, such as the 1977 birth of Caesar, the first gorilla ever delivered by Caesarean section, and the breeding of all four known species of tapirs, including the endangered mountain tapir. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the zoo expanded its role in global conservation, contributing to projects like the reintroduction of the Arabian oryx, once extinct in the wild, and the release of golden lion tamarins in Brazil.

The establishment of a dedicated research department in July 1981 marked the zoo’s commitment to advancing the scientific understanding of animal care and behaviour. The same year, the zoo partnered with the L.A. Unified School District to open the North Hollywood High School Zoo Magnet, providing students with unique educational experiences directly tied to wildlife and conservation.

The American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums – renamed Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) – developed the first Species Survival Plans (SSP) in 1981. At that year’s national conference in New Orleans, the Indian rhinoceros was among a handful of species designated for immediate attention. L.A. Zoo Senior Animal Keeper (and later General Curator) Mike Dee was elected the first Indian Rhino SSP coordinator, a post he held for 21 years. Currently, the Zoo participates in more than 50 SSPs.

In 1984 L.A. Zoo succumbed to the temptation to have a pair of Giant pandas on display when offered on loan as a political gesture by the People’s Republic of China for three months to commemorate the 1984 Summer Olympics being held in Los Angeles. A pavilion was quickly constructed, and the pandas made their debut on July 20, 1984. Guests waited in line for up to four hours to catch a glimpse of the pandas. Attendance records were smashed during these three months.

So, things developed in a positive manner since L.A. Zoo opened its gates in 1966, except for its infrastructure, which led to a water pipe burst in January 1992, leaving half of the zoo without water. The next day, city officials passed a $300 million master plan to deal with the infrastructure problems and inadequate exhibits. Since then, vast improvements have been made to the facilities to make L.A. Zoo thrive again.

This enabled L.A. Zoo in the 1990s to play a relevant role in preserving species through international collaboration and breeding programmes. Highlights include the birth of the first California condor chick at the zoo in 1990, the release of captive bred golden lion tamarin in the wild at Poco das Antas Reserve in Brazil, and the reintroduction of the critically endangered mountain bongos (2004), while educational innovations earned accolades from the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums in 1993. In 2000 L.A. Zoo had joined the Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Project, a joint effort of the Mexican government, the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens and San Diego Zoo. A pair of peninsular pronghorn born at the Los Angeles Zoo on March 24, 2008, marked a milestone in the species’ recovery. But the import of a group of peninsular pronghorn by L.A. Zoo to establish an insurance population in the U.S.A. may be regarded just as relevant, because with fewer than 50 individuals believed to remain in the wild, captive breeding may the species’ last hope for survival.

1 July 1997, the L.A. Zoo became its own department within the City of Los Angeles (it had previously been managed by the Recreation and Parks Department). The shift gave the Zoo a greater voice in City Hall and more direct control over daily operations. At the same time, the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, comprised of five mayoral appointees, was formed to provide oversight.

As the 21st century began, the zoo embraced modern science and technology. In 2002, it opened a state-of-the-art veterinary medical centre, positioning itself at the forefront of animal healthcare.

In January 2010, 22 Komodo dragons hatched, making L.A. Zoo one of the few zoos in North America to have successfully bred Komodos. Even more remarkable, however, was the breakthrough in 2013 when L.A. Zoo staff devised a method of DNA testing to identify the giant lizards’ gender before eggs are hatched. With males far exceeding females in the captive Komodo population, DNA sexing will help ensure a more balanced population in future. Also in 2010, the Elephants of Asia exhibit was opened, the largest (± 1550m2) in the zoo’s history, which demonstrated a modern enclosure according the current standard of animal care and habitat design. The following year, the zoo hosted the first-ever Zoobiquity Conference, bringing together human and veterinary medical experts to explore shared health issues across species.

The zoo's expansion continued with the opening of new exhibits like the LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles) in 2012. A state-of-the-art facility that contains 49 exhibits in two buildings and adjacent outdoor spaces. Nursery care, food prep, and reptile egg housing are situated behind a glass wall, affording guests the opportunity to view hands-on preservation efforts. In 2014 the Rainforest of the Americas, a stunning multispecies habitat, was opened.

With a blend of conservation, education, and community engagement, the Los Angeles Zoo remains an institution dedicated to saving endangered species and inspiring future generations to care for wildlife. Its decades-long legacy showcases its commitment to try and make a global impact through local efforts.

(Source: website Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, accessed October 2024; website World Abandoned)

Eastlake Park Zoo, Los Angeles (1885 - 1912)

Eastlake Park Zoo in East Los Angeles was the first zoo in the Los Angeles area and opened in 1885 in what is now known as Lincoln Park. It remained popular until around 1910, helped by the presence of two streetcar lines and a focus on developing Eastlake Park into one of the premiere recreational areas in Los Angeles.

Not too far away, in the Santa Monica Mountains, businessman Griffith J. Griffith had purchased Rancho Los Feliz. He started an ostrich farm on the land, supplying feathers to cope with the demands of the fashion trends at the time. In 1896, Griffith donated 1,220 ha to the city of Los Angeles to enable his vision to develop Griffith Park - “a place of recreation and rest for the masses.” Having a zoo in the park would add to the leisure the park supposed to deliver to these masses.

Griffith Park Zoo, Los Angeles (1912 - 1966)

Griffith Park Zoo opened in 1912. Unfortunately, the Zoo was constructed with a next-to-nothing budget from the L.A. City Council and was pretty much as basic as it gets. It was a sorry zoo, which was not in any way complete. So, not the world class zoological facility that they first intended to build. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for, and from day one the zoo was fraught with mishaps and missteps. Reports vary as to how many animals first populated the zoo: maybe as few as 15, and their origin isn’t very clear. The original population of the Griffith Park Zoo likely consisted of abandoned animals from Griffith’s defunct ostrich farm, that comprised more species than just ostriches. Together with animals “from the estate of railroad builder Frank Murphy who had kept his own private zoo,” writes Griffith Park historian Mike Eberts. In any case, in 1913 the zoo’s population grew with the arrival of about 100 frail animals from the closed, scandal-ridden Eastlake Park Zoo.

The Zoo was built quite haphazardly with animals put in stockades, welded wire encircling groups of trees. Located in a canyon near Bee Rock, wolves, monkeys, bobcats, deer and others were housed in rudimentary cages and enclosures, the bears in hillside caves. Larger animals were confined in jerry-rigged corrals. In 1914, an aviary, bear pits and more cages were constructed. But small animals escaped the fragile structures, and the slipshod facilities and restrictive quarters boded misfortunes to come. Eberts relates in his article “Two Zoos in Griffith Park,” that in 1916 sewage was found to be draining into the Los Angeles River, almost shutting the zoo.

Selig Zoo (1915 – 1923); Luna Park (1923 – 1932); California Zoological Gardens (1932 - 1942)

Meanwhile film producer William Nicholas Selig failed to turn his studios into a theme park. At Mission Road in the Eastlake Park section of LA, the site of his studio, as well as the Selig Wild Animal Farm, he opened his Selig Zoo in 1915. This zoo comprised, according to the Los Angeles Times, “four elephants, two camels, two sacred cows, ten tigers, ten leopards, seven lions, eight trick ponies, one boxing kangaroo, and one trick mule.” Also, giraffes named Lena and Fritz. The zoo would grow to include some 700 animals, imported from around the globe. Open to the public and easily accessible by trolley, an estimated 150,000 visitors came through during the first six months the zoo was open – that was 30 percent of the city’s entire population.
He initially stocked his zoo with animals used in his studio’s jungle pictures and cliffhangers and later expanded to incorporate mechanical rides, a hotel, a large swimming area, theaters and restaurants.
Selig Zoo Park struggled, as Selig’s film business went into decline, and the zoo had a lot of mouths to feed. By 1918, Louis B. Mayer Productions took over the studio space. Five years later, 1923, Selig Zoo closed and was sold to the Luna Park Group which renamed it the Luna Park Zoo. Selig became a literary agent and sold many of the animals to the zoo's new owners and donated some to the Griffith Park Zoo.
A collection of 15 concrete lions and elephants, sculpted by Italian sculptor Carlo Romanelli, that graced the elaborate zoo entrance, remained for the succeeding zoos. During the 1950s, long after there was no longer a zoo at the site, the sculptures were removed and placed in storage. In 2000, they were rediscovered. Ten were restored and seven – all lions - were installed in 2009 at the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens.
However, within a decade (in 1932), Luna Park closed, after which the nonprofit California Zoological Society took over and renamed it California Zoological Gardens (later called Zoopark). Like its predecessor, Selig Zoo, Zoopark derived its primary income from renting performing animals to the film industry. Some of its animal residents achieved fame, such as Nissa the leopard, starring in the 1938 Cary Grant/Katherine Hepburn film Bringing Up Baby, and Jackie the lion, one of MGM’s iconic roaring lions. By 1938, however, dwindling income from film rentals and, worse yet, the devastating 1938 flood that swept away animals, cages and jungle sets, exhausted Zoopark’s already stressed finances. The zoo’s 300 animals were facing starvation and, unable to pay its bills, the zoo faced eviction by the sheriff. The president of the California Zoological Society made a desperate appeal to the public for help and disaster was averted, but only temporarily so. By 1940, Zoopark sold off the last of its animal collection and closed.

By the mid-1920s, closure of Griffith Park Zoo loomed when park management voiced displeasure. Nonetheless, the Zoo struggled on, while expanding its animal collection, for instance with animals bought from Selig Zoo. But this also made obvious, as the years progressed, that more space was required to fulfil the various needs of their animals.

In the mid-1930s, a glimmer of hope for a great world zoological park emerged with a major years-long overhaul by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a scheme created to help jobseekers find employment undertaking public works. The Zoo was extended by work crews from the WPA. The new enclosures were built as caves with iron bars as was popular at the time.

But in the end, even this expensive venture (the new bear caves alone costed $500,000) was not enough to reverse the zoo’s shaky future. To begin with, moving the animals to their new enclosures was not without problems. Several fiascoes took place, such as getting two bears into their new enclosure, one finally succumbed to a squirt of cold water, and the other caved to sugar and raisin bread, While Rufus, a 625-pound lion, wound up stuck in a deep moat overnight. To make matters worse, in April 1934, Topsy, a Bactrian camel and star attraction, died. Despite the improvements made to the zoo, the facility proved still inadequate for the number of animals housed there. And so the ensuing years brought more grief and bad press. A baby zebra and young bear suffered broken necks. Bears escaped their cage at the zoo after the great New Year’s Flood of 1934. A monkey found its way into the Griffith Park Observatory in 1937. Fights between tortoises and other animals, which terrified other nearby animals and birds, were broken up by caretakers.

Hope arose when the post-depression era saw a boom in the Zoo’s visitor numbers, while during World War II, the trend continued when people visited the zoo to take their minds off the terrible events that took place elsewhere. But calamity followed calamity, and the specter of closure loomed, again. It had become obvious that Griffith Park Zoo was no longer fit for purpose and a solution would need to be found for the overcrowding problem.

Hence, in 1949, the chief animal keeper at the time, Charles Allen, called for a bigger zoo, because the animal well-being was at stake. The zoo’s population had grown to 1,000 animals, a number the inadequate facility could not sustain. Their sorry plight did not escape visitors, and complaints from zoo and local officials and other zoos became louder. Tension among employees and rumours of animal mistreatment resulted in occasional fights among employees, leading to keepers resigning. The local press followed the developments behind the scenes at the zoo leading to much embarrassment for the city. Historian Eberts wrote of ongoing controversy and scandal - a horticulturist as director, trading trained animals for allegedly inferior stock, and animals donated to the zoo sold for private gain. Despite all, the embattled zoo remained open into the early 1960s.

The continued focus on the inadequate facility led to the passing an $8 million bond measure to fund a brand new zoo, under the working title World Zoo. A zoo that matched the L.A.’s idea of itself as a budding great city of the world. So, finally the Griffith Park Zoo closed in August 1966. That year the entire Zoo was relocated to the new facility, just 3 km north in Griffith Park. It was renamed L.A. Zoo & Botanical Gardens after the move and opened on 28 November 1966.

The original Griffith Park Zoo location was never dismantled and is worth a visit to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a historic zoo in the process of decay:

Footage of the old abandoned Zoo at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, CA.

By Atomic productions

(Source: website World Abandoned (worldabandoned.com, accessed September 2024; Academy museum of Motion Pictures – The Selig Zoo, accessed October 2024; website Friends of Griffith Park, Griffith Park Zoo – the great world zoo that never was (1912-1966), accessed October 2024; A whimpering roar, article by Hadley Meares, PBSSoCal, 2015)

The Los Angeles Zoo is located in Griffith Park, in the heart of the U.S.' second-largest city, near Hollywood. The Zoo is also an accredited Botanical Garden featuring lush vegetation and thousands of plants throughout the grounds. Besides beautiful scenery, its location in hilly Griffith Park also gives you some steep footpaths to cover, though not as steep as at San Diego Zoo or SDZ Safari Park.

Before you actually arrive at the main Zoo grounds, you walk along the 'Sea Life Cliffs' first which are located just after the entrance and where you find a saltwater habitat for sea lions featuring under-water viewing. Passing through between the Zoo administration building and the children's petting zoo the next exhibit is the L.A.I.R. An interesting facility for Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles, representing over 60 species, that was opened to the public in 2012 and provides a vital base for the Zoo's reptile and amphibian-focused conservation initiatives. Both the indoor and outdoor exhibits have habitats that exemplify the natural environments of the diverse inhabitants. Inside it has got hand-painted murals of damp and misty forests, rainforest canopies, red rock formations, mountain ranges and vistas, and dry arid deserts. After walking through the L.A.I.R. building there's a beautiful enclosure with lizards from the Americas (mainly native California/Baja California): Cape rock lizard; Santa Catalina side-blotched lizard; San Esteban island chuckwalla;collared lizard; desert iguana and spiny lizard. A right turn brings you to the alligator and crocodile pond, which is a nice open air exhibit with for instance False gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii).

Next, is the Australasia section. The layout of this section is circular, like many of the Zoo's exhibit areas, with an enclosure in the middle that comprises yellow-footed rock wallaby and Sulawesi wrinkled hornbill (Aceros cassidix). This enclosure with much vegetation, has got wire mesh fence all around, a diameter of about 15m, and height of ca 20m. So, the hornbills are able to fly around a bit. At the periphery enclosures hold yellow-footed rock wallaby, Visayan warty pig, double-watted cassowary and koala. The two koala enclosures, both houses Tammar wallaby as well. These pit-like constructions contain large trees, though the koalas are prevented to venture up very high, while their food is provided under a roofed shelter. Included in the Australasia circle is an exhibit with two Komodo dragons (male and female?), each in its own enclosure. In between these indoor enclosures there's access to an outdoor exhibit, which will suit these reptiles large parts of the year considering the Californian weather conditions.

As mentioned above, a typical exhibit layout in Los Angeles Zoo comprises a row of enclosures positioned around a circular viewing area with a small access path just off the main footpath. Where the public is shielded from the sun by a roof over the viewing area. Another typical feature at the Zoo is that the view on the animals in their enclosure is almost always from above. You either walk on an elevated footpath or the animals are on display in a pit.

While continuing I thought I entered the Africa section, but it appeared to be nothing of that kind. The grouping of the animal collection is not by geographical origin, and not by taxon either, nor by habitat. I probably do not do them justice by saying that the species are spread over the grounds haphazardly, but I couldn't figure out what the plan behind the grouping was. Or at least it was not executed consistently, except maybe for the Australasia section I just had seen. For instance, the section in the corner I thought would comprise African species began with rock hyrax (South Africa), followed by African wild dog. Next, there were Chacoan peccaries (South America), Speke's gazelle (Africa), babirusa or pig-deer (Indonesia), lowland anoa (Indonesia), peninsular pronghorn (North America) and Grevy's zebra in consecutive enclosures along the outer edge of the corner area. At the same time, in the centre of this area North-American river otter, bighorn sheep (North America), bat-eared fox (Africa) and island fox (Californian channel islands) were on display. You could argue that the outer edge exhibits all housed hoofed species, nonetheless it doesn't seem to be a specific grouping of their animal collection. Which is exactly what you'll find throughout the rest of the Zoo.

In this section the African wild dog enclosure represents a very green savannah with several trees and shrubs, and a stream that ends in the water-filled moat near the visitors' viewing position. It is not a large enclosure, but it provides good shelter from the inquisitive public, because the dogs were hiding and resting and I could hardly see them. Nearby, two North American river otters (Lontra Canadensis) are kept in an elongated enclosure of low height with wire mesh fences all around except for the cement rear wall. Although it consists for about fifty percent of water and the vegetation provides several hiding places, I would say it lacks environmental enrichment. Adjacent there's another enclosure, same style, with a small pool this time, lots of grass, vegetation and tree trunks, but it is not clear if this enclosure is also accessible for the otters.

The Zoo keeps many species in captivity, and contributes to many Species Survival Programs. This means they provide active contribution to ex-situ conservation efforts of the zoological community at large. But, regarding the welfare of their animals I have my doubts, because of most of the species in the Zoo's collection they only hold few individuals. This is especially sorrowful for species that live in herds or other forms of social groups, like many of the hoofed animals. For instance at time of visit I saw three specimens of Speke's gazelle, one single Grevy's zebra, three giraffes, three Asian elephants and a few gerenuk. Fortunately, there are exceptions. A herd of nine peninsular pronghorns are kept in two desert-like paddocks across from the bighorn sheep on their huge artificial rocky hill, an excellent multilevel rock formation. These exhibits, though small, seem fit for purpose for the small herds of the respective species. But, as I already said, the next-door Grevy's zebra is on its own in the dry savannah area, that is to say I didn't see any other zebra. Which is bad husbandry, because such a species should be kept in a social group - a herd. And it is bad for educational purposes as well.

From the zebra exhibit it is just a few steps to the Campo Gorilla Reserve that opened in late 2007 and is home to seven western lowland gorillas. A forested footpath leads to viewpoints where you are separated from these majestic apes by either moats or thick glass viewing windows. The Zoo has two separate troops of gorillas - a family and a bachelor group - living among the waterfalls and lush plants. The enclosure of the two gorilla brothers is temporarily closed, but the family troop of five western lowland gorillas, including a silverback, has access to a varied multilevel enclosure with a small waterfall and stream, trees, shrubs, grassy ground cover and an artificial rock face all around. The gorillas are completely at ease and do not pay any attention to the public that sometimes crowds together at the few viewing points. The gorilla exhibit is off the main footpath and creates a secluded atmosphere if it wasn't for the huge number of schoolchildren that visit the Zoo that day.

While the gorilla enclosure is built according the old but still appropriate bar-less principle of Carl Hagenbeck and mimics the animals' native habitat, the adjacent Bornean orangutans exhibit is completely the opposite. It doesn't resemble the orangutans' native habitat in the Indonesian rainforest and it has got wire mesh fences all around, including the roof. There are no trees whatsoever, and due to the lack of shade and humidity that trees provide, vaporizers have been installed next to the enclosure to increase the humidity in the direct environment of the apes. The environment is enriched with artificial climbing facilities and the largest exhibit's height is about 20 metres. One of the two outdoor enclosures holds a mother and child, born in 2005. The orangutans are quite exposed in their exhibit due to the wire mesh fences and windows, where the public walks along on an elevated boardwalk.

'The Elephants of Asia' exhibit, which was opened in 2010, can be regarded as the centrepiece of the Zoo. Not only because it is the largest exhibit of the Zoo with over 2.5 hectares of land that showcases the elephants and informs visitors about the challenges Asian elephants face in the wild. But it is also physically the centre of the main grounds. Unfortunately, only 3 elephants were occupying the territory at time of visit. Three is a rather small number for an animal that tends to live in larger social groups, though social ties are weaker than in African elephants.

The first mixed species exhibit I encounter, except for the odd enclosures in the Australasia section, is one which comprises two mountain bongo and yellow-backed duiker. It's a relatively large enclosure, slightly uphill, several trees, and with sandy soil. I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the enclosure for the Maasai giraffe as well, but these are on display in a pathetic enclosure without any decent enrichment (see video).

In this section several primate species can be found. The Kikuyu colobus monkey are kept in a cage-like construction which support climbing activities by artificial enrichment. But there's no possibility to venture up high in a tree as they would do in their native habitat.

Like this colobus monkey enclosure I would call many of the primate enclosure, cages. Although the cages are large with much vegetation and enrichment, they are not up to current standards. Except for the chimpanzees, the gorillas and the orangutans, the primate exhibits are all rather low and have a wire mesh roof. Even the siamang, which should explore the environment at the canopy of the forest, experience this barrier.

Well, talking about low. The serval enclosure is amazingly low, for a cat which natural behaviour on the African savannah consists of preying on birds that sometimes are even caught in flight. In addition, the enclosure offers hardly any hiding place, but several high level platforms though.

I have seen quite some exhibits at Los Angeles Zoo that could do with an upgrade to bring them up to current standards, in my honest opinion. But this cannot be said of the chimpanzee exhibit ('Chimpanzees of the Mahala mountains'), which is impressive and a precious little gem. The rock face rear wall, the multilevel boulders, the undulating landscape, the trees, the waterfall, and stream, all do remind of the chimps original habitat in Africa. Except for the bar-less viewpoints of course. This beautiful enclosure is home to one of the largest troops of chimpanzees in the United States. In addition, the chimpanzee area includes an extensive indoor section and a 140 square-metre "penthouse" with fire hoses and plastic barrels for the chimps to climb on.

The two tigers on display are of the Sumatran subspecies according to the Zoo's website. Unfortunately this is not mentioned on the information panel (see Signage). It is a small enclosure that offers many enrichment features though. With unprotected trees as scratching poles, and a water-filled moat on the visitor's side in the pit-like enclosure. A similar so-so enclosure is the one for the snow leopard. Of course it is too small, as always for such a species that roam many kilometres per day to find prey. But the rocky terrain resembles its native habitat and the observation platforms serve a purpose as well. Unfortunately, it is not an open-top enclosure and the wire mesh roof is rather low. Temperatures are very different from the Himalayas of course, so there are shades to provide shelter from the sun.

The final phase of the Zoo's master plan that was initiated more than 10 years ago was still work in progress in 2013. The master plan should deliver zoo-wide improvements, but considering what I saw there's still quite some work to do I believe. 'The Rainforest of the Americas' was scheduled to be opened in 2014, and it did so on 29 April. This exhibit hopefully provides better exhibits for the Central American species, while at the same time give more geographical meaning to the Zoo's animal collection. In 2013, the giant otter was on display in a pit-like enclosure with ridiculous small pools for this aquatic mammal, so, hopefully the new enclosure is more fit for purpose. The same counts for the other species in 'The Rainforest of the Americas' such as the tapir, the emerald tree boa, the harpy eagle and keel-billed toucan, goliath bird-eating spiders and red bellied piranhas.

I sure hope that they will not stop refurbishing after this last phase of the current master plan is accomplished, because I am not that excited about what I have seen at Los Angeles Zoo, that is probably clear by now. Although things are improving and there are several absolutely great exhibits to be admired, I think they should give higher priority to the animals' needs and welfare. Therefore, I add a few more enclosures to my list of not so good exhibits, which I would like to see improved. They need to be mentioned because they are simply awful, not fit for purpose and a disgrace in my opinion. These are, the Indian rhino enclosure, and the aviaries for Steller's sea eagle and African fish eagle.

Signage and information

The signage at LA Zoo provides basic information on the species, including for instance about food and feeding behaviour. But it lacks in giving proper information about the species conservation status (in the wild). The IUCN Red List status is not mentioned, nor is explained what endangered means if they use this term. And nothing is said about the Zoo's contribution to the SSP, if any. Like in many zoos there are different styles of signage at various enclosures, dependent on the age of the exhibit I presume. The Zoo partly makes up for this lack of information, because on their website the Zoo provides extremely good information about their animal collection when it concerns their contribution to the SSP and the IUCN conservation status of the species they keep.

Some additional information, such as contact details and involvement in breeding programmes.

directions to Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens

The Los Angeles Zoo is located at the northeast corner of Griffith Park directly across from the Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Address:
5333 Zoo Drive
CA 90027
Los Angeles
California
United States of America

public transport

The Zoo is conveniently located along the Bus line 96 route, which originates in Burbank and Downtown. Free parking is available at the Downtown Burbank Station. Downtown Los Angeles stops include connections to the Metrorail Red/ Purple line, as well as a short walk from Union Station. To plan your trip see timetable and route of Bus line 96 here or use the trip planner.

by bicycle

If you like cycling and you're not afraid of a few slopes then you should really take your bike or rent one and pedal all the way to Griffith park from wherever you're based. One of the world's earliest examples of a segregated cycle facility was the nine-mile dedicated Cycle-Way built in 1897 to connect Pasadena to Los Angeles (Wikipedia). So, they know a thing or two about cycle lanes. Plan your route with detailed maps of Los Angeles Area Bikeways.

by car

The Zoo is located at the northeast corner of Griffith Park at the junction of the I-5 (Golden State) and the 134 (Ventura) freeways.

From Westbound 134

Use far right lane approaching I-5 (Golden State) Freeway. Follow signs indicating 134 (Ventura) Freeway. Exit Zoo Drive, continue past soccer fields, across the bridge to the parking lot.

From Eastbound 134

Exit at Victory Blvd. Turn right, then make an immediate left on Zoo Drive. Continue on Zoo Drive to Zoo parking lot on right.

From Northbound 5

Use right lane approaching 134 east to Pasadena. Exit at Zoo Drive. Turn right at stop sign and follow street across the bridge to Zoo parking lot.

From Southbound 5

Exit at Alameda Ave. Go west on Alameda. Turn left at Victory Blvd., and left onto Zoo Drive. Follow Zoo to Zoo parking lot on right.

Alternate Driving Directions

From Northbound 5

Exit at Los Feliz, turn left and take a right on Crystal Springs Drive which turns into Zoo Drive or take the Griffith Park exit. The Zoo will be on your left.

From Southbound 5

Exit at Alameda, turn right on Alameda. Turn left on Victory Blvd. Turn left on Zoo Drive.

From Eastbound 134

Exit Buena Vista Street. Turn left on Buena Vista. Turn right on Alameda. Turn right on Victory Blvd. Turn left on Zoo Drive.

Parking is FREE. (On select days throughout the year, the L.A. Zoo offers a Preferred Parking Program for a nominal fee, payable on-site [cash only]. The Preferred Parking Program operates on busy, peak attendance days including most holiday weekends and special events. On these days, limited free parking is available in designated areas.)

Download the zoo map here.