Los Angeles Zoo

Los Angeles Zoo

A summer crowd at the LA Zoo
Date opened	1966
Location	Los Angeles, California, USA
Coordinates	34.148146°N 118.28388°W / 34.148146; -118.28388
Land area	133 acres (54 ha)
Number of animals	1,100
Number of species	250+
Memberships	AZA, WAZA
Major exhibits	Campo Gorilla Reserve, Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Red Ape Rainforest, Sea Life Cliffs, Elephants of Asia
Website	www.lazoo.org

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a 133-acre (54 ha) zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California. The City of Los Angeles owns the entire zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals. Animal care, grounds maintenance, construction, education, public information, and administrative staff are city employees.

History

The first zoo, called the Griffith Park Zoo, opened in 1912 and was located about two miles (3.2 km) south of the current zoo site until it was closed in August, 1966. Remnants of the original zoo remain. The site of the current zoo was formerly the location of Rodger Young Village, which was itself built on the land which had been used for the Griffith Park Aerodrome.

The zoo opened in its present location in November 1966.

By the early 1990s, the zoo's infrastructure was deteriorating. In January 1992, a ten-inch water pipe burst, leaving half of the zoo without water. The next day, city officials passed a $300 million master plan that had been recently drafted to deal with the infrastructure problems and inadequate exhibits. The zoo nearly lost its accreditation in 1995 because of deplorable conditions; however it rebounded under a new director.

In 1998, the zoo opened Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, followed by Red Ape RainForest in 2000, the Komodo Dragon Exhibit, the Winnick Family Children Zoo in 2001, the Entry Plaza, Children's Discovery Center and Sea Lion Cliffs (now Sea Life Cliffs) in 2005, Campo Gorilla Reserve in November 2007, Elephants of Asia in the winter of 2010, and the LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles) in 2012.

On Tuesday, June 26, 2012, a chimpanzee infant baby, born to Gracie, a member of a 15-chimpanzee tribe (one of the largest chimpanzee tribes of any North American zoo), was mauled to death by an adult male chimpanzee. The zoo said this event was totally unexpected, although it also stated that acts of aggression by male chimpanzees (toward humans, or toward a rival male chimpanzee over territory or a desired female) are always a possibility- indeed, there have been several well-known cases of male chimpanzee aggression in recent years. Gracie was allowed to keep her baby overnight to grieve, and counseling was being offered to staff (none had witnessed the event), and to the visitors who had seen the event. It is reexamining its policy of how it introduces baby chimpanzees to the tribe.

Exhibits and Attractions

Campo Gorilla Reserve

Campo Gorilla Reserve opened in November 2007 and features western lowland gorillas in a 1.5-acre (0.61 ha) complex. Guests can view the animals through two glass observation windows and three other locations. Plants in the exhibit include palms, pomegranates, and ferns.

Botanical Gardens

In 2002, the zoo became a certified Botanical Gardens and the official name of the institution was changed to the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Spread throughout zoo grounds, there are 15 different collections, highlighting over 800 different plant species, with a total of over 7,400 individual plants.

Conservation

The Los Angeles Zoo has been successful in its breeding program of the rare California condor, helping to grow the number of condors in the world from a low of 22 in the 1980s to over 330 today. It is one of the few zoos worldwide to have the mountain tapir.

Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association

The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) was created in 1963 and is a nonprofit corporation created to support the Los Angeles Zoo in its mission to nurture wildlife and enrich the human experience. GLAZA's primary responsibility is to seek and provide financial support for the zoo’s programs and capital projects. GLAZA also provides support through membership, organizing special events and travel programs, producing award-winning publications, coordinating one of the largest zoo volunteer programs in the country, administering the contract for visitor services concessions within the zoo, and supporting community relations, and public relations.

Gottlieb Animal Health and Conservation Center

Named after philanthropists Robert and Suzanne Gottlieb, the Gottlieb Animal Health and Conservation Center is a 33,589-square-foot (3,100 m²) facility situated in a restricted area in the upper reaches of the zoo. Among other features, it includes a state-of-the-art intensive care unit, an on-site commissary, a surgical suite with observation area, and research facilities. In 2007 the facility handled 853 medical cases. The smallest patient treated was a spider tortoise (0.08 kg) and the largest was an Asian elephant (4,826 kg).

Shows and activities

California Condor Rescue Zone (CCRZ): The CCRZ is a play space designed for children ages 6 and up, where they can learn how California condors are protected.

World of Birds Show: Birds of prey and other endangered birds perform. Show times: Weekends 11:30am, 2pm, and 3:30pm. The World of Birds Show is currently closed for renovation.

Animals & You Program: These 15-minute long animal presentations take place at stations in the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo.

Winnick Family Children's Zoo: Located at the top of Winnick Family Children's Zoo, this petting zoo enables visitors to pet goats and sheep in an animal contact area known as Muriel’s Ranch. Brushes are available at Muriel's Ranch for visitors to groom the domestic animals.

Neil Papiano Play Park: The Neil Papiano Play Park (located in the upper zoo along the perimeter road) incorporates animal-themed climbing sculptures, large play structures, a toddler area, water misters, grassy landscaping, and a large picnic area. It was designed to be accessible to all children visiting the zoo, including those with medical and physical challenges.

The future

The zoo's latest capital project, the Rainforest of the Americas, will open in 2013.

In popular culture

• In the 1971 20th Century Fox film Escape from the Planet of the Apes, the characters Zira and Cornelius are briefly quarantined at the Los Angeles Zoo.
• Remnants of the Griffith Park Zoo were used to represent the San Diego Zoo in the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
• The Los Angeles Zoo was also featured in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.

See also

• John C. Holland, Los Angeles City Council member, 1943–67, opposed turning the zoo over to a private organization

External links

• Media related to Los Angeles Zoo at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• The Old Griffith Park Zoo on Modern Day Ruins