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Zoo History
Early History
The Los Angeles Zoo was the fourth zoo to serve the city.
1885: The City-owned Eastlake Zoo opens in East Los Angeles Park.
1912: The Griffith Park Zoo opens (a few miles from the current Los Angeles Zoo site) with 15 animals.
1915: “Colonel” William Selig opens his combination movie studio and zoo, the Selig Zoo, in Lincoln Park.
By 1956, the citizens of Los Angeles realized their city had outgrown the small Griffith Park Zoo and passed a $6.6 million bond measure to help build a new one.
1960s
August 1966: The Griffith Park Zoo closes. The first group of animals moves from the Griffith Park Zoo to the new location.
November 28, 1966: The Los Angeles Zoo opens. Among the animals at the Zoo on opening day was American alligator Methuselah, who is still on exhibit today.
1967: Two three-month-old polar bear cubs arrive at the Zoo. Bruno died of cancer in 1996, but Sweetheart went on to set a longevity record for polar bears in captivity.
1967: The L.A. Zoo acquires a pair of extremely rare Arabian oryx, the beginning of one of the Zoo’s most successful breeding programs.
1970s
1970: The first annual Beastly Ball, a safari-themed dinner-dance was held. The Ball is the Zoo’s largest—and most highly anticipated—fundraising event each year.
1970: Twinkletoes, an African-born black rhinoceros, delivers the first rhinoceros calf born in California.
1972: The Zoo becomes an accredited member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA).
1977: The world’s first gorilla baby delivered by Caesarian section is born at the Los Angeles Zoo. Weighing in at 5 pounds, 2 ounces, he is named Caesar.
1980s
1981: The Zoo becomes a partner in the California Condor Recovery Program, helping to bring this majestic bird back from the brink of extinction.
1982: Six Victorian Koalas arrive from the Melbourne Zoo and take up residence in the Ahmanson Koala House, the recipient of a Significant Achievement Award from the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums.
1984: Pandas Yun Yun and Ying Xin arrive for a three-month stay just in time for the Summer Olympics. The China Pavilion built to house the pandas was later converted into a powerful animal holding facility.
1988: A donation from Alice C. Tyler funds a new meerkat exhibit. These charming creatures would later provide inspiration for the animators of Disney’s The Lion King.
1990s
1990s: The Zoo creates what will become one of the largest volunteer enrichment programs in the country. Enrichment refers to objects or activities designed to enrich the psychological and physical well-being of the animals.
1990: The World of Birds Show debuts thanks to a gift from Nestle USA.
1993: Tiger exhibit refurbished including the addition of a waterfall thanks to a gift from Purina.
1998: Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains exhibit opens.
2000 – present
2000: Red Ape Rain Forest, the state-of-the-art orangutan exhibit, opens.
2001: Winnick Family Children’s Zoo, named for donors Gary and Karen Winnick, opens, featuring a petting zoo, outdoor amphitheater, and indoor interactive learning center.
2002: The Zoo is accredited by the American Association of Museums and renamed the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
2005: Opening of the new Zoo Entry Plaza, Children’s Discovery Center, and Sea Lion Cliffs.
2006: The Zoo’s veterinary hospital renamed the Gottlieb Animal Health and Conservation Center in honor of donor Suzanne Gottlieb and her late husband, Robert.
