Los Angeles Zoo (California, United States of America)

Much like the city in which it is located, the Los Angeles Zoo is spread out over a wide, sprawling area. According to information online, the zoo covers 54 hectares (133 acres).  The grounds are so large that the zoo operates a shuttle service for visitors who don’t want to walk to the far corners of the facility. 

Another characteristic of the zoo that made a strong impression on me was the dry grassy landscapes and Southern Californian vegetation. There was even an area that showcased large trees and plants that tolerate dry climates with little rain. Strolling around in this environment on a very sunny day made me quite thirsty, and I was very appreciative when I found vending machines that sold chilled bottled water.

Large Mammals

Since I didn’t think I would have enough time to explore the entire zoo, I first made my way to the Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) exhibit. The palm trees planted in the enclosure reinforced an aura of its “Hollywood” location, perhaps quite fitting for the two feline stars that were on display. 

Immediately adjacent to the tiger enclosure were enclosures of other large mammals. Since these were animals native to different continents, I could not perceive a distinct common theme for this group of exhibits.  Some of the animal exhibits nearest to the tiger enclosure were:

American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Exhibit (Native to North America)

Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) Exhibit (Native to Africa)

Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) Exhibit (Native to Asia)

Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) Exhibit (Native to South America)

Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) Exhibit (Native to South America)

Rainforest of the Americas

I next moved on to the “Rainforest of the Americas”, an area which opened in 2014 and featured animals native to Central and South America. 

The obligatory piranha tank

The fish tank was actually sandwiched between two glass walls so that visitors looked through the fish tank to see into the river otters’ enclosure.

Giant River Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) Exhibit

Rainforest of the Americas is an immersion type of exhibit which allows visitors to feel as if they actually entered the animals’ native environment. Much of the landscape and surroundings were extremely well crafted props, including the dead tree trunks below.

Although I wasn’t able to touch them to confirm my suspicions, I would bet money that these orange fungi are also man-made.

Jaguar exhibit situated on hill

Not all the plants were props.  These were real banana plants.

Elephants of Asia

This large area In the middle of the zoo is home to the Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus). The exhibit area has more than 6 acres of land, and has multiple viewing platforms from which visitors can observe the animals.  The area is so large that I had to walk around four viewing areas before I finally found the elephants.

Chimpanzee Mahale Mountain

This area features animals from Africa, starting with the Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Next to the chimpanzee exhibit was the Maasai Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) exhibit.

The African Lion (Panthera leo) exhibit area was smaller than I expected.

There were also many hooved animals: Nubian Ibex (Capra nubiana)

Mountain Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci)

Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri)

Campo Gorilla Reserve

This area opened in 2007 with one area for the family troop and a separate area to be used for the bachelor males.

This male Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) was quite a handsome fellow and seemed to know it, posing for the visitors’ cameras.

Other animals in this area were:

Grevy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi) (Native to Eastern Africa)

Speke’s Gazelle (Gazella spekei) (Native to Africa)

Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa celebensis) (Native to Indonesia)

Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri) (Native to South America)

Cove Exhibits and Small Animals

The exhibits for many of the smaller animals were built into little coves such as the examples below.  Visitors walk into the center and are almost surrounded by animal habitat.  While this creates an interesting mini immersion experience, after visiting a few of them, the exhibits start to resemble each other. 

One cove housed the Crested Capuchins (Sapajus robustus).

Another type of enclosure was the one occupied by the Francois langurs (Trachypithecus francoisi).  The enclosure featured a viewing shelter connected to a large net that surrounded a large tree.

In the section with the Australian animals, the Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) occupied an open area that was secured by a low wall.  That is, low by adult standards.  In the short period of time I stood in front of this exhibit, I saw at least 3 children who begged their fathers to carry them so that they could peer over the wall.

Of the small animal exhibits, I thought the Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) exhibit, which featured a low wall and a metal railing, was one of the most accessible to children.

Educational Efforts

The Los Angeles Zoo featured various educational signs that spoke to a variety of environmental issues.  Displays at the Red Ape Rain Forest (The Orangutan enclosure) educated visitors about the how palm oil plantations in Borneo and Sumatra put pressure on Orangutan populations.

Signs in the Rainforest of the Americas explained features of the rainforest environment.

Although I didn’t see any, I understand that there are also zookeeper conducted presentations and programs.  There is also a children’s discovery center, but I did not have time to check it.

Opportunities for Animal Encounters

For safety of both visitors and animals, the Los Angeles Zoo generally does not allow visitor contact with most of the animal residents.  One exception is that visitors may pay $5 to participate in giraffe feedings which occur twice a day.  Another example is the “Hippo Encounter” which is promoted on the zoo home page.  Unfortunately, the home page does not provide much detail about the contents of the encounter.

There is also sometimes the close encounter that occurs by chance…

For visitors who simply insist on touching an animal, the best place to go is the “Muriel’s Ranch” animal contact area in the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo section where there are a number of dwarf goats. 

The Winnick Family Children’s Zoo is also the venue for the “Animals and You” Program featuring 15-minute close-up encounters with creatures such as hedgehogs, snakes, Guinea pigs, turtles, rabbits, armadillos, and insects.  The close-up encounters are not scheduled for fixed times, and the type of animal showcased on any particular day is apparently subject to a rotation.

Food and Souvenirs

According to the zoo map, there are seven food service facilities.  Unfortunately, I did not try any of them, so I cannot report on the taste of the food.

The Zoo Grill

Mahale Cafe

There were souvenir stores located near the main entrance.

They sold a variety of goods with the zoo logo as well as more generic animal items and even clothes.

Getting There

The zoo is located at the northeast corner of Griffith Park, and most visitors appear to arrive by car.  The zoo home page mentions the zoo being on a bus line route, but I took a taxi from downtown Los Angeles, and the trip cost me a little under $30 each way.  Admission for adults (13 to 61 years old) was $20, for senior citizens (62 years old plus) was $17, and for children (2 to 12 years old), $15.  Children under 2 did not require a ticket. 

(Note: The photos used in this post were taken during a visit on May 29, 2017.  The comments in this post are based on observations made on that day.  Conditions may have since changed.  Please check it out for yourself!)