View source for Los Angeles Zoo

{{short description|Public zoo and botanical garden}}{{Promotional|date=October 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox zoo
|zoo_name=Los Angeles Zoo
|logo=Los Angeles Zoo logo.png
|logo_width=225px
|image=LAzoo.jpg
|image_width=250px|image_caption=Entrance to the L.A. Zoo ~ 2005.
|date_opened={{Start date and age|November 28, 1966}}<ref name="zoo_about"/>
|location=[[Los Angeles]], California, United States<ref name="zoo_about"/>
|area= {{convert|133|acre}}<ref name="zoo_about"/>
|coordinates={{Coord|34.148146|-118.28388|region:US_type:landmark_scale:2500|display=inline,title}}
|num_animals= 1,400<ref name="zoo_about"/>
|num_species= 270+<ref name="zoo_about"/>
|members=[[Association of Zoos and Aquariums|AZA]],<ref name="aza_list"/> [[World Association of Zoos and Aquariums|WAZA]]<ref name="waza_list"/>
|exhibits=Campo Gorilla Reserve, Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Red Ape Rainforest, Sea Life Cliffs, Elephants of Asia, The LAIR<ref name="zoo_about"/>
|website={{URL|http://www.lazoo.org/}}
}}

The '''Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens''' is a {{convert|133|acre|adj=on}} [[zoo]] founded in 1966 and located in [[Los Angeles]], California, United States. The city of Los Angeles owns the zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals.

==History ==

Eastlake Zoo, opened in Eastlake Park (renamed [[Lincoln Park (Los Angeles)|Lincoln Park]] in 1917) in 1885.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History|url=https://www.lazoo.org/about/history/|access-date=2021-02-15|publisher=Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens|language=en-US}}</ref> The second zoo, [[Griffith Park Zoo]], opened in 1912 and was located about {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} south of the current zoo site until it was closed in August 1966.<ref name=history/> Remnants of the original zoo remain. The Los Angeles Zoo opened in its present location on November 28, 1966.<ref name=history/> The site was formerly the location of [[Rodger Young Village]], which was itself built on the land which had been used for the Griffith Park Aerodrome.

By the early 1990s, the zoo's infrastructure was deteriorating.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mozingo |first=Joe |date=1998-10-16 |title=Looking Up |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-16-me-33011-story.html |access-date=2023-01-07 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> 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.<ref name=renovation/> The zoo nearly lost its accreditation in 1995 because of numerous health and safety violation; it rebounded under a new director.<ref name=ABC2000>[https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=94673 L.A. Zoo Wrestles WIth Gorilla Escapes], ABC News, December 18, 2000, accessed April 13, 2013.</ref> The number of species exhibited has been reduced from 400 in 1993 to around 280, coinciding with construction of larger naturalistic enclosures holding animals in bigger groups.{{fact|date=July 2022}}

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.<ref name="zoo_about"/>

===Notable incidents===
In 1979, Virginia, a [[wolf]], escaped the zoo multiple times by ascending trees, climbing fences, and walking along branches until she could escape. At one time she eluded capture for a month by hiding in Griffith Park. It is unclear whether Virginia was ever recaptured.<ref name=Time-Virginia>Josh Sanburn, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110115031048/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2041628_2041646_2041654,00.html Virginia the Wolf, Los Angeles], ''Time'', March 30, 2011, accessed April 13, 2013.</ref>

A spate of escapes took place during the late 1990s and early 2000s when, in half a decade, at least 35 animals escaped the zoo including zebras, [[chimpanzee]]s, [[kangaroos]] and [[antelopes]].<ref name=Time-Evelyn>Josh Sanburn, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110115031056/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2041628_2041646_2041657,00.html Evelyn the Gorilla, Los Angeles], ''Time'', March 30, 2011, accessed April 13, 2013.</ref>

Evelyn, the [[gorilla]], escaped her enclosure approximately five times. In one widely covered incident, she used some overgrown vines to pull herself out of her exhibit. She then had full run of the zoo for an hour as TV-news copters hovered overhead and visitors were evacuated before she was tranquilized.<ref name=Time-Evelyn/> In a prior incident, she hopped on the back of another gorilla, Jim, to make her escape (Jim had also previously escaped). Part of the problem was that the gorilla habitat was originally intended to house bears;<ref name=ABC2000/> this was alleviated by the opening of a specially designed Campo Gorilla Reserve in 2007.

On 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 [[human]]s, or toward a rival male chimpanzee over territory or a desired female) are always a possibility. 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/27/12437949-adult-chimp-mauls-baby-chimp-to-death-in-front-of-los-angeles-zoo-visitors?lite |title=Adult chimp mauls baby chimp to death in front of Los Angeles Zoo visitors |work= U.S. News |access-date=2012-06-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628194855/http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/27/12437949-adult-chimp-mauls-baby-chimp-to-death-in-front-of-los-angeles-zoo-visitors?lite |archive-date=June 28, 2012 }}</ref>

In 2014, a [[bighorn sheep]] escaped from its enclosure, and ultimately the zoo itself. It was struck by a car approximately three hours later and subsequently died.<ref>{{cite news
| title      = Bighorn sheep escapes Los Angeles Zoo, dies after car strikes it
| date       = November 23, 2014
| url        = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-sheep-losangeles-idUSKCN0J700F20141123
| newspaper  = [[Reuters]]
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141203011819/https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/23/us-usa-sheep-losangeles-idUSKCN0J700F20141123
| archive-date= December 3, 2014
}}</ref>

In 2016, Killarney the [[koala]] was killed by [[P-22]], the [[cougar]] that lived in [[Griffith Park]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martinez |first=Michael |date=2016-03-10 |title=Mountain lion featured in National Geographic mauls koala in L.A. Zoo |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/10/us/los-angeles-p-22-mountain-lion-mauls-zoo-koala-bear-killarney/index.html |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

==Exhibits and attractions==

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

===Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains===
Chimpanzees of [[Mahale Mountains]], a one-acre (0.4-ha) exhibit complex, opened in 1998 and houses [[chimpanzee]]s. The hillside exhibit is dotted with boulders, palm trees, and an artificial [[termite mound]], and features a waterfall next to a tall rock ledge where the troop's leader can survey much of the area. Guests can view the animals across various moats or through a glass viewing window.<ref name="zoo_about"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lazoo.org/about/press/0513/chimpanzees.html |title=L.A. Zoo Expands Chimpanzee Troop with Three Youngsters |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=May 29, 2013 |website=lazoo.org |publisher=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association |access-date=April 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327190436/http://lazoo.org/about/press/0513/chimpanzees.html |archive-date=March 27, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joncoedesign.com/pub/PDFs/IncreaseAffiliativeBehavior.pdf |title=Increasing Affiliative Behavior between Zoo Animals and Visitors |last=Coe |first=Jon Charles |date=1999 |website=joncoedesign.com |publisher=Jon Coe Design |access-date=April 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127004923/http://joncoedesign.com/pub/PDFs/IncreaseAffiliativeBehavior.pdf |archive-date=January 27, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Campo Gorilla Reserve===
[[File:Campo Gorilla Reserve window LA Zoo.jpg|thumb|One of several viewing locations within the Campo Gorilla Reserve]]

Campo Gorilla Reserve opened in November 2007 featuring [[western lowland gorilla]]s in a {{convert|1.5|acre|adj=on}} complex.<ref name="gorilla_midst"/> Guests view the animals through two glass observation windows and three other locations.<ref name="gorilla_unveil"/> On January 18, 2020, an endangered western lowland gorilla was born at the Los Angeles Zoo, the first to be born there in over two decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/endangered-western-lowland-gorilla-born-at-los-angeles-zoo/2294580/|title=Endangered Western Lowland Gorilla Born at Los Angeles Zoo|website=NBC Los Angeles|date=January 19, 2020 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-24}}</ref> Plants in the exhibit include [[palm tree|palm]]s, [[pomegranate]]s, and [[fern]]s.<ref name="gorilla_unveil"/>

===Elephants of Asia===
Not to be confused with [[Singapore Zoo]]'s Elephants of Asia, this $42 million exhibit complex at the center of the zoo opened in 2010 and is currently an empty exhibit. There currently are no elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo. The two remaining Asian elephants, Billy and Tina, were transferred on May 21, 2025 to the Tulsa, Oklahoma Zoo. The main elephant enclosure was {{convert|3.8|acre|ha}}<ref>{{citation|last=Hall |first=Carla |title=Elephants Unpack Their Trunks |pages=n.p |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 17, 2010 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-dec-17-la-me-elephants-20101217-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112211142/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/17/local/la-me-elephants-20101217 |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> and has a {{convert|16,000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} barn used for medical exams. The complex was divided into several areas, each based on a different country in the elephants' range. The Thai Pavilion teaches visitors about the role of elephant labor in Thailand's economy. Guests could find information about elephant conservation in India at Elephants of India Plaza, which also has a waterfall where the animals can bathe. The Elephants of China section houses [[sarus crane]] and [[Chinese water deer]] in a marsh habitat and had information about the history of the [[Dai people]] and their relationship with elephants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lazoo.org/animals/elephantsofasia/exhibit/ |title=Exhibit Information |department=lazoo.org |publisher=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association |access-date=May 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120063609/http://lazoo.org/animals/elephantsofasia/exhibit/ |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In April 2025, it was announced that the zoo would be transferring their last two remaining elephants Billy and Tina to the [[Tulsa Zoo]] and would be "pausing their elephant care" indefinitely, and the elephants would be transferred out a month later.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} Animal rights activist protested their move to Tulsa, saying they should have been transferred to a sanctuary.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huamani |first=Kaitlyn |date=2025-05-21 |title=Elephants Billy and Tina whisked out of L.A. Zoo by night amid protests, arrive in Tulsa |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-05-21/elephants-billy-tina-arrive-tulsa-zoo-la-zoo-controversy |access-date=2025-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

===The LAIR===
The '''LAIR''' (''Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles''), which opened in 2012, is a $14 million indoor-outdoor exhibit complex that focuses on [[herp]]s and terrestrial arthropods. Guests first pass through the ''Oak Woodland Pond'', where local species can move in and live among native plants. The next feature is the {{convert|6000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} main building where the ''Damp Forest'' houses [[poison dart frog]]s, [[Chinese giant salamander]]s, and a recreation of a [[Daintree Rainforest]] river with [[archerfish]], [[Australian lungfish]], and [[Fly River turtle]]s. The [[Mangshan pitviper]], [[west African green mamba]], [[South American bushmaster]] and other snakes live in the next segment of the building, ''Betty's Bite and Squeeze Room'', named after Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association co-chair [[Betty White]]. Guests can see keepers care for animals behind the scenes in the ''Behind the Glass'' room. The ''Care and Conservation Room'' showcases [[Gray's monitor]] and other endangered reptiles. After the main building is ''Arroyo Lagarto'', a set of outdoor exhibits for [[Madagascar radiated tortoise]], [[Madagascar spider tortoise]], desert lizards, and [[California desert tortoise]]. A {{convert|2000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} secondary building, the ''Desert LAIR'', houses the [[Gila monster]], [[Sonoran toad]], [[Arizona Desert hairy scorpion]], [[California kingsnake]], and other species from Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California. The LAIR ends with ''Crocodile Swamp'', an outdoor exhibit home to [[false gharial]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lazoo.org/lair/habitat/ |title=Habitat |department=lazoo.org |publisher=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association |access-date=July 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311061616/http://www.lazoo.org/lair/habitat/ |archive-date=March 11, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lazoo.org/lair/critters/ |title=Critters |department=lazoo.org |publisher=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association |access-date=July 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311061611/http://www.lazoo.org/lair/critters/ |archive-date=March 11, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=L.A. Zoo Opens $14-million Reptile 'Condominium' Today |pages=n.p |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=March 8, 2012 |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/03/los-angeles-zoo-reptile-exhibit-opens.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316065747/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/03/los-angeles-zoo-reptile-exhibit-opens.html |archive-date=March 16, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Red Ape Rain Forest===
[[File:Los Angeles Zoo Red Ape Rain Forest Creek.jpg|thumb|right|alt=See accompanying text.|Three [[Bornean orangutan]]s rest amongst bamboo sway poles and a creek.]]
'''Red Ape Rain Forest''', a recreation of a Southeast Asian jungle, opened in 2000 and houses [[Bornean orangutan]]s. The {{convert|6000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} mesh enclosure, which has openings for the guest path to go through, is shaped like a horizontal [[torus|donut]] and back-dropped by [[hibiscus]], [[bamboo]], and [[rubber tree]]s. The [[ape]]s can climb on artificial sway poles, branches, and vines placed throughout the exhibit or wade in a shallow stream. Visitors enter the exhibit through an Indonesian pagoda, continue over the stream on a deck bridge, and arrive at a small pavilion with a glass viewing window. The path next leads to a large central deck where guests can view the entirety of the surrounding exhibit. Afterwards, guests proceed to an interpretive area with traditional Indonesian folklore and exit the exhibit area through another pagoda.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joncoedesign.com/zoo/laz_ape.htm |title=Red Apes of the Rainforest |publisher=Jon Coe Design |work=joncoedesign.com |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321041814/http://www.joncoedesign.com/zoo/laz_ape.htm |archive-date=March 21, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lazoo.org/redape/description.html |title=Red Apes of the Rain Forest |last=Coe |first=Jon |year=1997 |website=lazoo.org |publisher=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010210052901/http://lazoo.org/redape/description.html |archive-date=February 10, 2001 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lazoo.org/whatsnewfiles/orangbreak.html |title=Los Angeles Zoo Kicks Off Construction of New $5 Million Orangutan Habitat |date=May 24, 1999 |website=lazoo.org |publisher=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000617030918/http://lazoo.org/whatsnewfiles/orangbreak.html |archive-date=June 17, 2000 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Jaguaratthezoo.jpg|alt=A female Jaguar resting August 2024.|thumb|A female [[jaguar]] resting in her habitat, August 2024.]]

=== Rainforest of the Americas ===
'''Rainforest of the Americas''' features animals who live in the tropical regions of North, Central, and South America.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sahagún |first=Louis |date=2014-04-27 |title=Exotic species are settling in at L.A. Zoo's new rain-forest exhibit |url=https://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-adv--zoo-rainforest-20140427-story.html |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> It opened in 2014 and houses the [[uakari]], [[Black howler|southern black howler monkey]], [[red-bellied piranha]], [[keel-billed toucan]], [[harpy eagle]], [[Goliath bird-eating spider]], [[giant river otter]], [[emerald tree boa]], [[cotton-top tamarin]], [[Baird's tapir]], [[jaguar]] and other species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lazoo.org/rainforest/animals.php|title=Animals|website=lazoo.org|access-date=September 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811071009/http://www.lazoo.org/rainforest/animals.php|archive-date=August 11, 2014}}</ref>

{{clear}}

==List of animal species==
As of 2022:<ref>{{cite web |title=Explore Your Zoo - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (LA Zoo) |date=January 22, 2024 |url=https://www.lazoo.org/explore-your-zoo/ }}</ref>
{{hidden begin
|title = List of animals
|titlestyle = background:lightgreen;width:60%
}}
;Birds
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Abyssinian ground hornbill]]
* [[African fish eagle]]
* [[African sacred ibis]]
* [[Andean condor]]
* [[Bald eagle]]
* [[Bateleur]]
* [[Black crowned crane]]
* [[Black vulture]]
* [[Blue-and-yellow macaw]]
* [[Blue-billed curassow]]
* [[Blue-throated macaw]]
* [[Bufflehead]]
* [[California condor]]
* [[Chicken]]
* [[Chilean flamingo]]
* [[Common ostrich]]
* [[Congo peafowl]]
* [[Crested caracara]]
* [[Crested oropendola]]
* [[Eurasian eagle owl]]
* [[Galah]]
* [[Great horned owl]]
* [[Greater flamingo]]
* [[Greater roadrunner]]
* [[Green aracari]]
* [[Grey crowned crane]]
* [[Harpy eagle]]
* [[Harris's hawk]]
* [[Hyacinth macaw]]
* [[Indian peafowl]]
* [[King vulture]]
* [[Lanner falcon]]
* [[Laughing kookaburra]]
* [[Military macaw]]
* [[Nicobar pigeon]]
* [[Pygmy falcon]]  
* [[Red-fronted macaw]]
* [[Red-legged seriema]]
* [[Red-tailed black cockatoo]]
* [[Red-tailed hawk]]
* [[Rhinoceros hornbill]]
* [[Rock dove]]
* [[Ross's turaco]]
* [[Salmon-crested cockatoo]]
* [[Sarus crane]]
* [[Scarlet macaw]]
* [[Southern cassowary]]
* [[Steller's sea eagle]]
* [[Sunbittern]]
* [[Wrinkled hornbill]]
* [[Violet turaco]]
* [[Village weaver]]
* [[Von der Decken's hornbill]]
* [[White-crowned robin-chat]]
* [[White-faced whistling duck]]
* [[Yellow-naped amazon]]
{{div col end}}

;Mammals
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Addax]]
* [[African wild dog]]
* [[American badger]]
* [[American black bear]]
* [[Baird's tapir]]
* [[Bat-eared fox]]
* [[Binturong]]
* [[Black duiker]]
* [[Black howler]]
* [[Blue-eyed black lemur]]
* [[Bongo (antelope)|Bongo]]
* [[Bornean orangutan]]
* [[Calamian deer]]
* [[California sea lion]]
* [[Cape porcupine]]
* [[Chacoan peccary]]
* [[Chimpanzee]]
* [[Chinese goral]]
* [[Common squirrel monkey]]
* [[Crested capuchin]]
* [[Desert bighorn sheep]]
* [[Fennec fox]]
* [[Fossa (animal)|Fossa]]
* [[Four-toed hedgehog]]
* [[François' langur]]
* [[Geoffroy's spider monkey]]
* [[Gerenuk]]
* [[Giant anteater]]
* [[Giant otter]]
* [[Grevy's zebra]]
* [[Guinea pig]]
* [[Harbor seal]]
* [[Indian rhinoceros]]
* [[Jaguar]]
* [[Koala]]
* [[Lesser kudu]]
* [[Linnaeus's two-toed sloth]]
* [[Lowland paca]]
* [[Mandrill]]
* [[Maned wolf]]
* [[Mantled guereza]]
* [[Masai giraffe]]
* [[Meerkat]]
* [[Mountain tapir]]
* [[Nigerian dwarf goat]]
* [[North Sulawesi babirusa]]
* [[Ocelot]]
* [[Okapi]]
* [[Peninsular pronghorn]]
* [[Red-capped mangabey]]
* [[Red river hog]]
* [[Red-rumped agouti]]
* [[Reeves's muntjac]]
* [[Ringtail]]
* [[Ring-tailed lemur]]
* [[Rock hyrax]]
* [[Serval]]
* [[Shetland sheep]]
* [[Short-beaked echidna]]
* [[Siamang]]
* [[Sichuan takin]]
* [[Snow leopard]]
* [[Southern hairy-nosed wombat]]
* [[Southern pudu]]
* [[Sumatran tiger]]
* [[Bukharan markhor|Tadjik markhor]]
* [[Tammar wallaby]]
* [[Vietnamese pot-bellied pig]]
* [[Visayan warty pig]]
* [[Western gray kangaroo]]
* [[Western lowland gorilla]]
* [[White-faced saki]]
* [[Yellow-backed duiker]]
* [[Yellow-cheeked gibbon]]
* [[Yellow-footed rock-wallaby]]
{{div col end}}

;Reptiles and amphibians
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Aldabra giant tortoise]]
* [[American alligator]]
* [[Lampropeltis pyromelana|Arizona mountain kingsnake]]
* [[Montivipera raddei|Armenian viper]]
* [[Crotalus unicolor|Aruba rattlesnake]]
* [[Axolotl]]
* [[Baja California rat snake]]
* [[Crotalus lepidus klauberi|Banded rock rattlesnake]]
* [[Ranitomeya benedicta|Blessed poison frog]]
* [[Simalia boeleni|Boelen's python]]
* [[Boyd's forest dragon]]
* [[California kingsnake]]
* [[Cape cobra]]
* [[Chinese giant salamander]]
* [[Colorado River toad]]
* [[Sauromalus ater|Common chuckwalla]]
* [[Desert iguana]]
* [[Desert rosy boa]]
* [[Desert tortoise]]
* [[Dyeing poison dart frog]]
* [[Bitis parviocula|Ethiopian mountain viper]]
* [[False gharial]]
* [[Cruziohyla craspedopus|Fringed leaf frog]]
* [[Gaboon viper]]
* [[Gharial]]
* [[Giant horned lizard]]
* [[Gila monster]]
* [[Golden poison frog]]
* [[Gopher snake]]
* [[Gray-banded kingsnake]]
* [[Gray's monitor]]
* [[Green and black poison dart frog]]
* [[Neurergus kaiseri|Iranian harlequin newt]]
* [[Komodo dragon]]
* [[Vipera ammodytes|Long-nosed viper]]
* [[Phelsuma grandis|Madagascar giant day gecko]]
* [[Magnificent tree frog]]
* [[Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus|Mangrove viper]]
* [[Protobothrops mangshanensis|Mangshan pit viper]]
* [[Crotalus basiliscus|Mexican west coast rattlesnake]]
* [[Mertens' water monitor]]
* [[Mexican beaded lizard]]
* [[Northern caiman lizard]]
* [[Painted terrapin]]
* [[Perentie]]
* [[Pig-nosed turtle]]
* [[Radiated tortoise]]
* [[Crotalus ruber|Red diamond rattlesnake]]
* [[Ranoidea chloris|Red-eyed tree frog]]
* [[Crotalus willardi|Ridge-nosed rattlesnake]]
* [[Crotalus lepidus|Rock rattlesnake]]
* [[Rough-scaled python]]
* [[Crotalus catalinensis|Santa Catalina rattlesnake]]
* [[Shingleback skink]]
* [[Crotalus cerastes|Sidewinder]]
* [[Lachesis muta|Southern American bushmaster]]
* [[Crotalus mitchellii|Speckled rattlesnake]]
* [[Spider tortoise]]
* [[Tropidolaemus wagleri|Temple viper]]
* [[Tiger salamander]]
* [[Western green mamba]]
* [[Yellow-banded poison dart frog]]
* [[Zimmerman's poison frog]]
{{div col end}}

;Fish
* [[Hypostomus|Armored catfish]]
* [[Melanotaenia fluviatilis|Australian rainbowfish]]
* [[Banded archerfish]]
* [[Bucktooth tetra]]
* [[Lake Wanam rainbowfish]]
* [[Ocellate river stingray]]
* [[Red-bellied piranha]]
* [[Red rainbowfish]]
* [[Tami River rainbowfish]]
* [[Xingu River ray]]

;Invertebrates
* [[Hadrurus arizonensis|Giant desert hairy scorpion]]
* [[Madagascar hissing cockroach]]
* [[Thermonectus marmoratus|Sunburst diving beetle]]

{{hidden end}}

==Conservation==
The Los Angeles Zoo claims it 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 430 today.<ref name=conservation/> It is one of the few zoos worldwide to have the [[mountain tapir]], and is the only zoo outside of [[Peru]] and Brazil to house the [[red uakari]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://zooscape.lazoo.org/2019/09/01/remembering-inti/ |title = Remembering Inti – Zooscape}}</ref> It was one of the first zoos to successfully breed [[echidnas]] and gave birth to the first [[Coquerel's sifaka]] outside of Madagascar, the sifaka's native homeland.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}}

==Management ==
The city of Los Angeles owns the zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals. Animal care, grounds maintenance, construction, education, public information, and administrative staff are city employees. As of June 2019, [[Denise Verret|Denise M. Verret]] serves as the zoo's director,  the first female African American director of an [[Association of Zoos and Aquariums]]-accredited institution.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2019/07/07/meet-the-la-zoos-new-director/ |title = Meet the LA Zoo's new director, Denise Verret – Daily News| website=[[Los Angeles Daily News]] | date=July 7, 2019 }}</ref> The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) was created in 1963 and is a nonprofit corporation created to support the Los Angeles Zoo.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Noah |date=2025-07-01 |title=Inside the L.A. Zoo's messy $50-million breakup |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-01/inside-the-l-a-zoos-messy-50-million-breakup |access-date= |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> 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 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.<ref name="glaza"/>

==Gottlieb Animal Health and Conservation Center==
Named after philanthropists Robert and Suzanne Gottlieb, the Gottlieb Animal Health and Conservation Center is a {{convert|33589|sqft|-2|adj=on}} 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&nbsp;kg) and the largest was an Asian elephant (4,826&nbsp;kg).

==Shows and activities==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2016}}
[[File:Hedgehog animals and you LA zoo.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Daphne the hedgehog, part of the Animals & You Program]]

'''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. The area also features live webcam feeds of the California Condors, which are not currently exhibited because of the sensitive nature of the rescue work.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lazoo.org/conservation/californiacondor/|title=Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens {{!}} California Condor Recovery Program|website=Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref>

'''World of Birds Show:''' Birds of prey and other endangered birds perform. Show times: 11:30am and 3:30pm, daily, except Tuesdays. The World of Birds Show is currently running but the birds are still in training.

'''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.{{r|LADN 2002-01-06}} 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.

==Magnet Center==
[[File:Los Angeles Zoo Magnet Campus.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Magnet Center Campus]]

The North Hollywood High School Zoo Magnet Center is located across the street from the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Griffith Park. The program was established in 1981 in the hopes of "a vision of providing a racially, ethnically, economically, and geographically diverse group of motivated students an enriched curriculum in animal and biological sciences."<ref>{{cite web|last1=McManus|first1=Lee|title=NHHS Zoo Magnet Center|url=https://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/principal-leadership/cohort-11-fieldwork/s-thompson-fieldwork-class/leemcmanus-workspace/fieldwork-portfolio/project-webpages/example-project-page/?searchterm=None|access-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508161002/https://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/principal-leadership/cohort-11-fieldwork/s-thompson-fieldwork-class/leemcmanus-workspace/fieldwork-portfolio/project-webpages/example-project-page/?searchterm=None|archive-date=May 8, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Zoo Magnet Center offers 300 Los Angeles high school students a college preparatory curriculum focused on animal studies and biological sciences. It is also run by the [[Los Angeles Unified School District]].

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Garden's partnership with the Zoo Magnet Center provides high school students with opportunities to study and to practice wildlife conservation, animal care, biology, chemistry, and environmental stewardship in a hands-on environment.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
{{clear}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Greater Los Angeles}}

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

==References==
{{Reflist |colwidth=30em |refs=

<ref name="aza_list">
 {{Cite web
 |url=http://www.aza.org/current-accreditation-list/
 |title=List of Accredited Zoos and Aquariums
 |work=aza.org
 |publisher=[[Association of Zoos and Aquariums]]
 |access-date=December 2, 2010
 }}
</ref>

<ref name=conservation>
{{Cite web
|title=Conservation - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
|department=lazoo.org
|publisher=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
|date=January 6, 2012
|url=http://lazoo.org/conservation/
}}
</ref>

<ref name="glaza">
 {{Cite web
 |url=http://www.lazoo.org/glaza/
 |title=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
 |department=lazoo.org
 |publisher=Los Angeles Zoo
 |access-date=December 2, 2010
 }}
</ref>

<ref name="gorilla_midst">
{{Cite web
|title=Gorillas Again in Our Midst
|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]
|date=November 8, 2007
|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-nov-08-me-gorilla8-story.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429082433/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/08/local/me-gorilla8
|archive-date=April 29, 2009
|url-status=live
}}
</ref>

<ref name="gorilla_unveil">
{{Cite web
 |title=Los Angeles Zoo Unveils Campo Gorilla Reserve 
 |department=lazoo.org 
 |publisher=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association 
 |url=http://www.lazoo.org/animals/campogorillareserve/pdfs/campogorillareserve.pdf 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105222703/http://lazoo.org/animals/campogorillareserve/pdfs/campogorillareserve.pdf
 |archive-date=January 5, 2012
 |url-status=live
}}
</ref>

<ref name=history>
{{Cite web
|title=History - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
|department=lazoo.org
|publisher=Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
|date=January 16, 2012
|url=http://www.lazoo.org/about/history/
}}
</ref>

<ref name=renovation>
{{Cite news
 |title=Massive Renovation Plan Proposed for L.A. Zoo 
 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] 
 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-28-mn-843-story.html
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305220454/http://articles.latimes.com/1992-01-28/news/mn-843_1_master-plan
 |archive-date=March 5, 2016
 |url-status=live
}}
</ref>

<ref name="waza_list">
 {{Cite web
 |url=http://www.waza.org/en/site/zoos-aquariums
 |title=Zoos and Aquariums of the World
 |work=waza.org
 |publisher=[[World Association of Zoos and Aquariums]]
 |access-date=December 2, 2010
 }}
</ref>

<!-- <ref name="zoo_lair">
{{Cite web
|url=http://lazoo.org/about/construction/reptileinsect.html
|title=The LAIR
|department=lazoo.org
|publisher=Los Angeles Zoo
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124041316/http://lazoo.org/about/construction/reptileinsect.html
|access-date=October 14, 2011
|archive-date=November 24, 2010
|url-status=dead
}}
</ref> -->

<ref name="zoo_about">
 {{Cite web
 |url=http://www.lazoo.org/about
 |title=About the Zoo
 |department=lazoo.org
 |publisher=Los Angeles Zoo
 |access-date=December 2, 2010
 }}
</ref>

<ref name="LADN 2002-01-06">{{Cite news |agency=Los Angeles Daily News |date=2002-01-06 |title=Improved L.A. zoo welcomes inspectors' scrutiny |url=https://www.deseret.com/2002/1/6/19630076/improved-l-a-zoo-welcomes-inspectors-scrutiny |access-date=2023-01-07 |work=Deseret News |language=en}}</ref>

}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.moderndayruins.com/2008/01/griffith-park-zoo.html The Old Griffith Park Zoo on Modern Day Ruins]
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002dfm76 Image of zookeepers holding lion cubs at the California Zoological Gardens (later known as the Griffith Park Zoo)], Los Angeles, 1935. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002dfm8q Image of zebras at the California Zoological Gardens (later known as the Griffith Park Zoo)], Los Angeles, 1935. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
* [https://www.festival-of-light.com/la-zoo-lights LA zoo lights]
{{Northwest Los Angeles}}
{{Zoos of California}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1966 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Griffith Park]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Los Feliz, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Zoos established in 1966]]
[[Category:Zoos in California]]