Entrance to the Los Angeles Zoo. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.
| Opened | November 28, 1966 |
| Location | Griffith Park, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles 90027 (intersection of Golden State (5) and Ventura (134) freeways) |
| Telephone & Website | Telephone: (323) 644-4200 Website: Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens |
| Management | The City of Los Angeles owns and operates the Zoo and is overseen by its own zoo director. The Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. |
| Size | Zoo and support facilities - 101 acres; Parking lot - 32 acres |
| Average Annual Attendance | Nearly 1.8 million visitors |
| Zoo Hours | Open daily except Christmas; 10 am to 5 pm |
| Animal Collection | More than 1,100 mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles representing 250 different species. |
| Plant Collection | More than 7,400 individual plants representing 800 different species. |
| Some Significant Conservation Successes | The L.A. Zoo dedicates funds, scientific expertise, and staff to a wide variety of conservation projects all over the globe, with a special focus on those that target wild counterparts of animals in their collection. A few of these projects include the California Condor Recovery Program, Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Plan, and the Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog Recovery Act. |
| Support Organization | The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) |
Source: Los Angeles Zoo and special thanks to Ashley Rodriguez of the L.A. Zoo.
The Los Angeles Zoo, opened in 1966, was actually the fourth zoo to open in the city. The first zoo, the Eastlake Zoo, opened in 1885 in East Los Angeles Park. In 1912, the Griffith Park Zoo opened only a few miles from where the modern Los Angeles Zoo is today. In 1915, “Colonel” William Selig opened the Selig Zoo, a combination movie studio and zoo in Lincoln Park.
The Los Angeles Zoo's lush grounds on 113 acres features the Rainforest of the Americas, an extraordinary collection of endangered and exotic mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians living in spaces that exemplify their natural habitat in the rainforest biosphere; Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains, home to one of the largest troops of chimpanzees in the United States; Red Ape Rain Forest, where visitors can walk among orangutans; the LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles); Elephants of Asia; Campo Gorilla Reserve; and one of the largest flocks of flamingos in any zoo in the world.
Among other L.A. Zoo highlights are an extraordinary, hands-on Hippo Encounter; the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo and Muriel's Ranch animal contact area; the Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel; a variety of daily opportunities to learn more about animals, including close-up visits, special feedings and intriguing talks; and much more.
The L.A. Zoo, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, whose members meet rigorous professional standards for animal welfare, has achieved renown as an international leader in the preservation of endangered species and a conservation center for the care and study of wildlife.
The private, non-profit Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), has supported the Zoo in partnership with the City of Los Angeles since its founding in 1964 and boasts 60,000 member households representing more than 240,000 adults and children. GLAZA attracts one of the largest membership bases of any cultural organization in Los Angeles.
