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Los Angeles Zoo
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Griffith Park/Los Feliz
5333 Zoo Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 644-4200
5333 Zoo Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 644-4200
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
101 reviews for Los Angeles Zoo
I watched a monkey eat a carrot for 7 minutes just to see what it would do w/ the very bottom end of the carrot that is all rough and dirty.
He threw it at me!
Not a shabby place. Will go again to pay a visit to that monkey.
I don't want to give the LA Zoo a bad a review, but I have to. All the other negative reviews that you'll read are EXACTLY right.
Yes the zoo is HUGE. But in size only---it seems like miles and miles between some exhibits and when you finally reach one it is just awful. The animals are depressed, the exhibits are old and cramped. It hardly seems like there is anything in this zoo at all.
This zoo was built before anyone considered the handicapped or families with strollers. You will need to take your child out of his stroller in order to see the exhibits (bushes or brick walls prevent low-level viewing); and the handicapped better have some serious arm-strength for all the hills and dead-ends. Most exhibits in the old part are empty.
The children's petting zoo is NEVER open, and hardly seems worth it when it is. A couple of goats isn't my idea of a petting zoo.
The aviary is pathetic. You'll spend an hour there just trying to navigate the non-sensical pathways without seeing anything. The signs for the Aviary say "LIMITED Wheelchair/Stroller Access." What it really means is that you'll be able to wheel yourself to the door and that's it. All steps inside. Super disappointing.
The staff is friendly. I feel sorry for them.
And yes, the hippo seems very, very very sad.
If you go during the week on the off-season its a fantastic place to let your toddler run around without getting squashed with crowds...and they have a park.
Great for a walking workout.
I purchased a membership before ever entering this zoo. I am happy to support the zoo because I think it desperately needs help but I am also a little bit p*ssed that I wasted my money.
Such a shame that LA can't do better than this.
"Hey look, another boarded up exhibit!. What do you think was in there? Chinchilla? Lizards? Birds? Buffalo? Mongoose?"
"Hey, what is that? Is that it? Do you see it? People! Move out of the way, I want to see too!"
"Hey lady, no one can see it. Nothings there. Stop breathing on my neck! Damn, it's hot!"
"WTF? THAT HIPPO DOES NOT LOOK HAPPY. Does he look happy to you?"
"Aren't there any Zebra's here?"
"Fucking 4.5 oz apple juice is 5 dollars. Forget it, I'll just dehydrate."
"That is soooo cute! It's Timon from The Lion King!"
"We finished the park in less then an hour? No wonder it's only $13.00 to get in."
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I haven't been to the zoo since my son was little and I have been wanting to go so for my anniversary I decided I wanted to go to the zoo...what does that say about me I am not sure.
So yesterday we went and the place was empty. Often we would not see anyone else...it was GREAT!
It's a smaller zoo compared to the San Diego zoo but in some ways I find it better because I don't want to spend all day at the zoo. We got through it in 2-3 hours.
I was happy to see the infamous Reggie the Alligator although I think he was happier at Lake Machado but at least he was not killed and has a new home.
My favorite animals were the Jaguar who seemed spun out...I think he was hungry, the hippos, rhinos, meerkats...actually most of the animals are really cool.
They elephant area is under construction as well as the reptile area so that was a bit of a bummer but if it means no crowds because the kids are back in school then I will deal with a couple disappointments.
BTW why is someone holding a drink the main photo for this review? I vote it off!
Next stop on our day tour Griffith Observatory.
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Okay this zoo is not that bad for the price that you pay to enter into the place. I went to the San Diego zoo which I must say is better but in comparison to price I would rather go to this place. I saw the lion which is my favorite animal so I was satisfied.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/14/2009
This zoo is not to bad in comparison to the San Diego Zoo. They have all the same wild life that… Read more »
I accompanied david w. with his kid to the LA zoo a weekend ago, and brought along my parents, and aunt. I must be going disneyland or other amusement parks way too much because when i saw the $12 entrance fee i was like thats a hell of a deal. Better yet, the wife and i paid for the couple membership for $60, and got the rest of the family in for free, and i can go back for a year.
Too bad it was close to 100° outside and we only could get through about half the zoo before i couldn't stand it anymore and left.
We ate lunch there at the place near the chimps, but the burger was a little bland, but the fries were good. I still feel pretty bad when i see animals locked up, but the kids there all seem to enjoy it. Although it didn't seem like the animals were obese as i thought they should be considering their small living quarters.
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This zoo doesn't quite compare to the San Diego Zoo but it's pretty good. They have good ol' Reggie the alligator, the gator that someone threw into the San Pedro/Harbor City lake area. He was safely napping inside his exhibit.
They have a good number of exhibits and I was pretty satisfied. Heck, they even have a tiger exhibit where you can really see the tigers. SD Zoo has a tiger exhibit that is so huge that you can't see the tigers. Also, I noticed that they didn't have the elephants there due to the death of one of the elephants. From what I remember in the news, the exhibit was too small so the elephants didn't have enough room to roam. They're trying to rectify that situation now and it looks like they're going to reopen it sometime in the near future with a bigger exhibit.
My only complaint is when you circle the zoo, some of the animals were placed in random places, kinda out of the way. You have to go to the tour bus route area for you to see some of the animals.
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For a city that is on the map of the world, we sure have a piss poor zoo and no matter how big of a front gate you put up, it's not going to make up for the fact that it's run down.
The cages are pretty run down. In fact, if you go on a 2 mile walk over to the OLD ZOO, you'll realize that the old cages aren't all that much different than the new ones. Hell, I'm sure some of the animals in the small cages would be more than happy to be in that older zoo.
I have fond memories of this zoo growing up. Maybe it was cause I smelled the materials to that wax zoo animal from the machine.. Or maybe it's just nostalgia, but it's just not all that good of a place. I'd hate to think kids are seeing this as the proper treatment of animal.
It really is worth it to go down to San Diego to go to a zoo that gets money injected into it. Sure, it's cause it's a tourist joint and we got a lot of celebs here to act as animals in the zoo of our paparazzi. That zoo is worth it.
On the plus side, you can at least use this parking lot to go to the Hollywood Bowl. Frankly, I think the animals inside would be more appreciated if you did just use the parking lot and let them out of their old and busted cages.
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Used to have a lot of fond memories of this place back in the day until I visited with a couple of friends last week. Let me just say:
GHETTO and DEPRESSING.
All the exhibits appeared to be falling apart, the exhibits were dirty and unkempt...and it seemed like half the animals had been "taken in" away from exhibit leaving visitors with empty cages to stare at. Okay...and the animals that WERE out and about in view from visitors looked like they were on Prozac or Xanax. Lions, gazelles, and hippos don't look this depressed on National Geographic.
And WTF? I'm no zoo keeper or animal expert, but do they know what the hell they're doing with these animals? Some species of turtle they had there was in a BIGGER cage than their Red-Tailed Hawk. A BIRD that needs to fly. That ain't right.
If you want to visit a REAL zoo, drive a few miles south to the famous (and for god reason) San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park. THAT'S the place to go.
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What a fun place to go for a "big kid" like me. For $13 (adult entry fee) I definitely got my fill of the animal kingdom and boisterous laughter -filled squeals of happy kids for a while....oh, and I took lots of great pics too.
Just be sure to wear comfy shoes, sunscreen and a hat. It can get pretty hot out there during the daytime and the park is pretty big. If you don't feel like walking I saw some "trains on wheels" buzzing around that you can ride for an extra fee.
There are tons of parking spots...literally thousands of them outside the entrance gates. Free parking...woo-hoo!
I like the LA Zoo a lot. We came here recently when it was over 100 degrees and WOW, hot hot hot! at the zoo. The soles of my feet were burning from the heat of the pavement. I can't discount the zoo because of the heat, but this does not really make a good zoo day, most of the animals were too hot to be active and you really couldn't see them very well. Right now the zoo is going through renovation, so unfortunately, the Australia house (which is indoors and normally gives you a nocturnal view of the koalas and echidna, which is great) was closed and the koalas were outside this time, and of course, hot and asleep. They have a pair of Steller's Sea Eagles which are definitely worth the hike up the hill for, amazing to see up close, but I feel sorry for them in captivity, even though the female has an injury which makes it necessary for her to be there. They have some cool mammals: snow leopard, a coati, Coquerel sifakas, ring-tailed lemurs, fennec fox, slow loris, giant otters, an okapi, tapirs, and lots of primates. The African Rhino put on quite a show for us and charged out of the center of her enclosure and took a mud bath! Whole lotta rhino there, girl! The gorilla enclosure is huge and lots of fun, and so are the chimpanzees. I was disappointed that they only have one bear here now (and of course he was asleep!), when we last came I believe they had a Spectacled Bear but no longer. The aviary is big (but kinda stinky) and it's a hike up there, but it's pretty. They also have a fun kids area with that springy space-aged rubbery floor stuff, FUN for adults to walk on! We didn't eat here but the Mexican food vendor looked pretty darn good, I was eyeing someone's taco plate and wishing I was not on a diet! If it's warm at all the day you plan your visit, I would definitely stash water or gatorade for your zoo trip and save some $. They also have a cheap vendor outside in the parking lot with lots of sun hats.... if it's hot, BUY SOME, if you did not BRING SOME, you'll need a sun hat. I did not, and got a sunburned scalp. Take sunglasses also (fortunately, I did do this right). Overall a nice local zoo. Not as pretty or as large as San Diego, but certainly worthy. I hope they bring back the indoor Australia house.
Agree with fellow yelpers, if you enjoy animals, buy a membership - much less expensive in the long run - helps the zoo association upgrading the exhibits which of course benefits the animals, and you get invites to special events held several times a year. (and of course, saves you money)
Its a good sized zoo, and you can go often and never see the same animals twice depending on time of day, weather, etc. (some like it hot, some not! - some fed in front of public, etc.) Also, you can just choose to go to different sections too if you just want to see creatures that interest you.
One big difference between say LA Zoo and San Diego is LA wants their animals to behave and be treated as they would in the wild - so they ask you not to feed them (plus they can also control their diets) - I think its a really good idea (its not natural for wild animals to sit and beg for food).... They also try to put the animals in habitats as much like in the wild as possible, and are constantly upgrading to do this.
If you have kids - suggest starting out in the children's "zoo" and the reptile house before they get too tired.... I always swing by the baby animal "nursery" - although you cant personally handle the exotic babies they are so cute and are usually fed so the public can watch thru the glass well worth it.... And if you have members of your group who have trouble getting around - you can take a tram tour of the whole place, rent wheelchairs, and even strollers.
Always enjoy going here - and again, never see the same animals twice... which makes it even more interesting... also great photo ops....
There are food "joints" too scattered throughout the zoo - standard fare for kids/adults like fries, dogs, burgers, ice cream, etc. .... you're gonna do a lot of walking so you'll be hungry.
And, as other yelpers have mentioned - the keepers are great - very friendly, knowledgeable, and usually will spend time telling you about their "critters".
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Lions, tigers and bears - OH MY!
They have an assortment of animals (who remembers all the names, anyway?). . . the basics, like gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, flamingos, alligators, crocodiles, kangaroos, koalas, bears (brown, black, etc.), various birds, an elephant (yes, singular. ONE), giraffes, zebras, meerkats, goats, lions, tigers, etc., etc. And plenty of other animals that I will never remember their names.
My daughter liked the goat petting zoo - those things were HUGE! I swear they were mutant. (make sure to wash your hands before AND after - deter hoof and mouth disease, that stuff is gross!!)
There is a lot of walking to cover - and I like that we can get tired in such a scenic space. We (re)discovered the baby animal space - to the right after all the shops in the beginning - however, there aren't any baby, baby animals - just a bunch of cute little ones. :o)
Entrance:
Adults (ages 13 - up) $12
Seniors (age 62 and up) $9
Children (ages 2 to 12) $7
Children (under 2) Free
*get a discount for groups of 15 or more ($9 per adult and $6 per child)
*** Membership is a pretty good deal, and you get perks like, additional free day passes for adults, and discounts on food and shopping.
Parking: *FREE* (and plentiful!)
Food and beverages: average "amusement" park fares - they take credit cards, cash and your first born child. Be prepared to find slushies, icees, kettle korn, almonds, soda, BEER, pizza, hot dogs, ice cream, hamburgers, mexican fare, sandwiches, salads, etc. ( http://www.lazoo.org/v... )
FYI, you can bring in your own stuff if you can't afford/don't want to purchase zoo food - this is the one huge public setting where they don't search your belongings. . .
*TIP* Go with an open mind. Don't even DARE compare to San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park - this is completely different.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/7/2008
I hadn't been to the zoo since I was in high school, which actually doesn't seem that long ago, but… Read more »
I went just after a few days of rain and I don't know if there is such thing as an off-season but a lot of the exhibits weren't open. I didn't get to see my giraffes or my meerkats!! B and I were sorely disappointed. Plus we didn't take a map and had no idea where we were going and we circled the place a bunch of times..I guess we should go back in the summer.
Well after our adventure at the zoo, we waited about an hour in the lot because they only opened 1 exit. Fed up and running late for dinner, we..well, B decides to try and go over the curb in his jeep. Good idea except since living in NY for the past few years I guess he forgot to build up enough speed. We got stuck. And just as luck would have it, as soon as we got stuck, one of the workers came and unlocked the exit right next to us. -_- Thanks to the random guy who saw us and totally helped up out, even with the peeved wife in the car waiting to go home (it was V-day, btw.) And in the end, thankfully, a park ranger happened to be driving past and pulled us out with his truck. What an adventure!
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Zoo's are always awesome. The animals are awesome.
The bad things are that this zoo is small, the spaces are more cramped, and a lot of things are always closed or under construction. The place is still fun though and always see something new. I have a membership so today 30 minutes to closing and just slip in to see a few animals and then leave. =) Cool. And the membership if you like animals is a pretty good deal...about $50 for two people, get 4 free tickets, and go in anytime for the whole year. Not bad. All kinds of fun at the zoo anytime. Plus the zoo needs money to make better places for the animals, so funnel it in!
Who are the idiots who give this festering sore anything more than 1 star? This zoo is a total dump. The animals look depressed and have absolutely no enrichment items to keep them happy. Although the chimpanzee enclosure was top notch, not so much for the rest of the animals. Also, it is such an inaccessible zoo. The exit from the 5 is a rough road.
The 13 dollar entry fee says it all. You get what you pay for. The San Diego Zoo is superior in everyway by 100 fold. There seemed to be no keepers around. The "Safari Shuttle" is a joke. You can't see any of the animals from it so if you've never been to LA Zoo, don't pay it unless it's hot and you just want a ride to the top. The girl who was the PA announcer on the tram was holding the mic so close to her mouth that it was impossible to understand her. And the trash? Trash was everywhere and the zoo is dirty.
A lot has changed since it was used in the opening of Three's Company.
I almost forgot. The good ole Meerkats. Never have I seen a more sad and small colony of the little meerkats. Apparently, the LA Zoo does not want to encourage the digging of holes which is clearly what the meerkats like to run around in and escape the intense heat. What they did was lay cement that looks like dirt in the meerkat prison. There was a small hole and three or four of the little buggers bored out of their little skulls because they can't do what comes naturally.
Went here last weekend!
I'm gonna have to point out a couple of things I didn't like...
1. The jaguar exhibit was too small! poor guy was pacing back and forth. He needs more room to roam around.
2. The atrium... it wasn't that well kept... the place smelt really bad and they need to keep it more clean. poor birds.
3. The lion exhibit was to small and it didn't look well kept. They look sad in there. poor things.
Over all the exhibits were too small and not well maintained. They need to work on that.
Not much animals... BUT Things I did like was seeing the sea otters, sea lions, koalas and bears, petting the farm animals! brushing the goats coat! The bird show was cool... I expected the LA Zoo to be alot more prettier, cleaner and bigger... but Oh wells. (I guess visiting the Bronx Zoo in NYC last month and coming here this month... well BIG difference)
We arrived 40 mins. before they opened and there was a huge line... so plan ahead. For $12, it's a great way to spend family day. We did the whole zoo in 2 hours. Didn't have lunch there, typical zoo food. Lots of up and down hill walking. So be prepared! Can't wait for the elephant exhibit to finish.
Compared to the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo... I'm gonna say that LA Zoo is 3 stars. Alot of the animals were in hiding/ M.I.A. Free parking is always a plus! I was expecting this Zoo to be amazing... but I was a little bummed.
It's not the best zoo ever but it does offer some great experiences if you're lucky.
We saw a snow leopard, chimpanzees, giraffes, tamarins (my personal favorite), meerkats, etc. There isn't a shortage of animals, but there are not that many "wow" moments with the animals there either. We ate at the restaurant near the entrance, however I have a feeling that the same food is offered throughout the zoo. Burgers, fries, hot dog. Pretty standard (and thankfully not ecoli break-out inducing).
I find the map to be a bit deceiving as we got lost and somehow managed to get onto the service road and had to backtrack to get back to the animals.
Overall, a nice experience but lacked that "warm and fuzzy" feeling that zoos should strive for.
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Potentially lots to see here, but the crowd on Sunday was overwhelming and many of the exhibits were not open. Allow at least 3-4 hours to see everything, keeping in mind that although they close at 5pm, many of the animals go inside at 4pm. The food here is very expensive - similar to movie theater concession prices, so I suggest taking a snack or pack lunch.
I found the experience to be quite depressing overall. The habitat areas are very small, and are more like pens than the large range habitats at many other zoos. This was especially sad for the tigers and bears, as well as the giraffes - their living areas were about the size of a small one-bedroom apartment and were certainly not big enough for the animals to work up to a run. We didn't get to see the elephants, but I imagine it was equally grim. Even more depressing were the vultures that were in cages so small that they could only perch, and not fly.
Combine this with the massive crowds of people staring at the animals, the screaming kids, the commercial venues with kettle corn and souvenirs, and it was really kind of horrific. Like an episode of Twilight Zone where we are the cruel aliens putting innocent beings on display for our amusement and profit.
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This is a perfect place to come to let your toddler run while you walk and enjoy a coffee. They serve Starbucks at the first cafe on your left!
Ah the zoo...brings back fond memories of second grade school field trips. Back when it was okay to wear fanny packs.
I have been back a few times since then. Mostly for school related stuff and you can't really NOT have fun at a zoo. Unless you don't have a soul or w/e.
You can easily spend hours roaming around staring at the animals. Some of them look really sad, some are kinda cute, and some will traumatize you...like the monkeys. Oh god the monkeys...I dunno if it was mating season or what, but don't go near the monkeys.
Other than that it's entertaining I guess. It's cheap and you might even learn something.
Note: Do not go on a hot summer day. The heat intensifies the smell of the animals hehe
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got a zoo pass to this place
its really good to get some walking down its
big but not as big as san diego zoo
the only negative thing i have to say is that
every time i go the animals are sleeping :/ but they
look cute sleeping but you know i wanna see some
actions hahaa but meh thats why i got that pass so
i can go whenever.
i can't wait till they open up the elephant exhibit hopefully
before my pass expires.
overall this zoo is pretty cool. :D
Hello! What is wrong with me! We live so close, well, kinda, why have I NEVER been here up until last week?!
This zoo was great, I had this bad imaginary image of this place, then I read some reviews, and was like oh no... should we go?
Psh, on the bogus reviews, thank goodness I went with my positive "give em a chance feeling"
I do love San Diego zoo, I mean for goodness sake the damn place is known world wide its so great right? I have been to many a zoo, so coming here, I had tasted a bunch, and I thought this place was great!
You could actually see the lions, and the monkeys and the lil tiny midget squirrels(sorry the professional name escapes me)but those squirrels can be found in the baby part of the zoo.... where there are newborns..
The kettle corn with like 3 ingredients was insanely great and cheap to! I wanted to share with Mr. monkey and Mr. Aligator, but the sign said no popcorn sharing wif the aminals.....I will post a pic. of me and that lovely sign soon. So, I didn't share, I ate it all up. then I walked it off around the park because there are a bunch of hills, its awesome!
Oh P.S. to the peeps who were sad about the elephants... I didn't see any elephants, but I did see the big part of the zoo where they are building a huge home for the Mr. and Mrs. Elephant family, so dont worry :)
I have never seen a LA zoo that busy before ... I guess Easter do bring in some crowd at this zoo. Took my 3 year old and 1 year old and spend some money to simulate the economy.
My hubby and I actually looked at different options ... LA zoo or LB aquarium ... to my surprised the aquarium cost twice as much to get in. So we just stick with the LA zoo for now cause my 3 year old can name most of the animals.
It was a nice day (4/11/2009). Not too cold and not too hot just right especially with that many people. The traffic was pretty bad, but we were still able to grab a parking space in no time.
We saw flamingos, gorillas family (pretty cool even my younger one checked them out mama and baby gorillas), a sleepy lion, zebras, giraffes, etc ... but no elephant =( ... it was still closed. I have been reading books about elephants to my 3 year old, and he loves elephants and I told him they are big! so maybe next time around.
But he had a chance to pet goats at the petting zoo and brush their hair so that was a plus =) Both of them enjoyed petting and be gentle with the animal.
So if you want to spend less than $100 for a family of 4 for a day of fun ... the LA zoo is the way to go. We actually spent more on food than on the tickets =P ... Maybe we will bring our food next time.
Los angeles deserves to have a better zoo than this one.
Why should San Diego have a bigger and better zoo than Los Angeles.
This zoo sucks. It is better to watch animal planet.....
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Poor LA Zoo- doomed to be eternally overshadowed by the San Diego zoo down the road. This is a good zoo, which boasts some really excellent exhibits (you've got your tiny monkeys, and your sprawling orangutan habitat). It's big, so do take the train for time's sake, but a visit here will definitely score you some nice primates and big cats. Worth going.
It deserves a more detailed review, and I'll come update after my next visit.
This zoo hasn't got anything on the San Diego Zoo or the San Diego Wild Animal Park, but it gives it the good college try. The entrance is grandiose-- like Disneyland, but once you walk past the entryway into the animal enclosures, you'll face several closed exhibits, dilapidated cages, and unnatural things in the animal's environments. I highly doubt that the sort of "toys" that the animals are given to occupy themselves in the too-small cages they're given to live in are not natural in the wild. It's also apparent that the animals in many cases are used to being fed by humans, because they will come right up to the fronts of the cages when you're eating something, practically begging for that piece of kettle corn.
The animals features at this zoo are kind of like a "greatest hits" of the animal kingdom. Most are from Africa, with only a few animals from other parts of the world exhibited. I didn't see any kind of reptile house. Well, maybe one or two monitor lizards, but no big snakes or anything. There wasn't much in the way of birds either.
The new gorilla exhibit was pretty impressive and I was also surprised to see the big guys coming up to the glass pretty often, looking through at people. They're so human-like, it's a little bizarre to watch! Same with the orangutans. They had an entire family there.
I only came up here because I had a pair of comp tickets, but at only $12 for general admission, I wouldn't be too adverse to coming by here again in the future. It was fun, and I spent about three hours seeing everything. Compared to the San Diego Zoo, you'll get a lot more face time with the animals at the LA Zoo, because their enclosures are much smaller and there's a lot more visibility. For that, I think this is a more rewarding trip for young children than the San Diego Zoo-- which can be incredibly overwhelming and exhausting, between the size and the hills.
Souvenirs and refreshments are expensive, but they don't check bags here, so pack a bottle of water or two and bring some munchies. Wear comfortable shoes, too-- even if it's on the small side for a zoo, it's pretty big!
I guess it's three stars because it is so small compared to the San Diego Zoo, and also there's always a lot of controversy involving the quality of life of the animals here. There were also a couple of animals which were announced as being under veterinary care. The poor Indian Rhinoceros' horn had to be sawed off. That bums me out a little, dude.
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Seriously, folks. You really want to know THE most amazing part of the LA Zoo? It's not really the animals. Cause we all know that they usually sleep/ hide during the zoo's public viewing hours. It's the dude who dresses up in a Khaki vest and hangs out all day by the Koala habitat. And knows everything about the Koala's and, well, pretty much every animal in that area. My husband and I thought perhaps it was a fluke that the first two times we saw him there was a little odd. By the third trip we were like, CREEPY/AMAZING.
And no, he is not employed by the Zoo. Dude just seems to HANG OUT. Wearing safari clothes. We have come up with some possible scenarios, such as he's homeless, a petterass, etc. But you know what? How shitty of me. This guy just likes to educate people about animals.
Kudo's to him. He's like the pro-bono (and fortunately living) Steve Irwin. Crikey!
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Crap zoo.
1/2 the animals are missing. I think I've seen more animals at a local animal shelter.
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12.00 bucks to get in and well worth it, what a beautiful place! A photographers paradise too. I saw the new elephants grounds is now under construction and I am looking forward to seeing that, I felt so sorry for billy the elephant in his tiny little space before. I LOVE CHILDREN, but some of the parents there are completely irresponsible and have zero control over their children, they are more wild than any of the animals, I got slammed into several times, the place is like Tia Juana on drugs with kids completely OUT OF CONTROL, no rules, no manners and absolutely no respect for adults. If my kids were this out of control I would be ashamed. If I acted the way the kids are allowed to here when I was little my folks would have me sitting in the car all day! I think some of these thoughtless parents belong in a cage.
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When I was younger, the zoo filled me with wonder.
Now that I am older, I like to think I know a little better.
I could not help but feel sad.
Looking at the animals in those exhibits, trapped with no way to get out, made me shake my head in shame and say "My god, what have we done?".
You know that a lot of them can get out. In fact they could get out and mess with you at any moment. But what would be the point of that if this is the closest thing they got to a real home since we took away many of their homes in the wild. Besides, they get free meals, free rent, fans with ugly mugs pointing and yelling to get their attention, and no real fear of predators.
As far as I am concerned, all the birds are attention whores who will come up to you on their side of the cage and look you in the eye as if to say "Look how pretty I am" - except the condors. Those guys are just depressed. They look like Atlas, bearing the weight of the heavens on their shoulders.
The monkeys are constantly plotting something. You can tell that they are creating shanks to stab you when no one is looking. They always put the one guy out there to distract you while the rest of them are in the back crafting their plan.
Oddly enough the cutest thing there was not any of the exotic wildlife, but a family of ducks in the flamingo area. It was so cute to see the little babies around their mama...
But I did not come to a zoo to see ducks. :(
If I win the lotto, I would donate a decent amount here. Something to give those animals more space and "me" time. They have souls too ya know. We messed up big time. The least we could do is pamper them.
I also enjoyed the horchata at the agua frescas place,La Casita. That was some of the best darn horchata I ever had!
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all i really care about at the zoo is the meerkats. and i saw them! theyre in the front, so the rest of the zoo is a little boring for me, till you get to the lemurs and crap. i love small, cute animals and sweet deer-ish looking things and thats it!
if you look at anything else you'll just get depressed. except the chimps. they have it good. the only animal with those cool mister things in their habitat.
Oh my! This zoo is big. Okay the biggest one I've seen..and if you plan to go please bring your walking shoes! Don't expect it to not be busy on a weekend (that's when I went) and oh boy it was. I walked so much!! Yes you're going to walk alot. Get a map because you will get lost! I had fun here I really didn't like how people wouldn't move to let other people look, they'll just stand in front of the animal forever -_- I liked the koalas :) lucky to see it climb down from a tree and run up another one. The elephant exhibit I didn't get to see and the gorillas as well. I didn't eat here but I did get a yummy sno-cone :) interesting animals I also liked the kangaroos and giraffes. I skipped the aviary how boring. The bird show was pretty cool, it's free it's on the right handside of the zoo. I suggest you go round in a circle I started at the left. I regret not coming earlier because I missed some animals oh well I got to see the best ones anyways. Pretty cool :) they have a trolley so you lazy people don't have to walk all over, I got quite some exercise -_-
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They Got Reggie! For those who don't know Reggie is a American Alligator that some guy bought as a pet, but Reggie got to big for him in so he dumped him in a lake. Then Reggie started terrorizing the locals until Animal Control caught him and there is now at the LA Zoo. Take a picture with a local celebrity.
The family went up from Ventura County on the July 4th weekend. Although warm, there was a decent breeze. It is kind of hard to complain about Zoos but unfortunately I have a few beefs. First is the Lay out is way wacky. You will be walking a country mile, which I know is what you do at a zoo, but the layout is weird. Signage I found confusing with lots of walking until you realize that you entered a service road, and have to turn back. The main walkway is uphill with roundabouts primarily on the left side.
Second beef is with Zoo food in general. Man the food was bad. Fried Garbage, a grey hot dog and lines out the door, need I say more. I know the Zoos make a lot of money off of concessions, and you have a captive audience so you could serve up a shoe on a plate and we would have to eat it. Please a little quality! The animals eat better than your guests, at least there food is fresh.
Ok, so that's it. We basically had fun, and would return. The Gorillas were awesome, as were the giraffes, and Chimps. Next time we will pack a lunch. If you go, say Hi to Reggie for me.
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I went here today for Easter because they were having an event going on and I had a coupon for buy 1 get 1 free so why not right. $12 for adults. It was really packed today. Traffic was crazy but parking was easy to find :) It's my second time here so I know my way around. I got to see a lot of animals compared to back in 2007 when I didn't get to see the giraffes and it made my day because they are so beautiful and tall! I was sad I didn't get to see the elephant again because it's under construction. The Koalas are soo cute & the tigers are grrrrrrr-eat! Next stop: San Deigo Zoo :) I can't resist those cute panda bears!
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I have an ongoing homework assignment with one of my co-workers-we are each required to participate in at least one purely for fun activity each day we are off work. I never have problems finishing my homework, I always was a good student after all, but I imagine I enjoyed this week's task as much as I might have if it was assigned it back when I really did have homework to turn in.
Because c'mon, who doesn't like cute aminals? If you're saying "me" right about now, please read no further. Close the browser. You are clearly evil incarnate. There are more squoosh-worthy, charming, and weird animals here than anywhere nearby and even if you think SD's zoo is better, it doesn't mean this one is shabby. The new gorilla habitat is spacious and bright, with a huge papa gorilla that was scary in size yet completely gentle and human-like, all at once. That's what's so amazing about the zoo. You are given an inside look into animals' personalities and behaviors (albeit a confined and limited version) that we otherwise would be completely oblivious to.
Did you know that Okapis have those stripes on their legs so their babies can follow them in thick forest? Think it's irrelevant to your life? No. It's just another example of how amazingly intricate the world is and getting a chance to understand that is a privilege many people will never have. Many will never see an Okapi. Or a gibbon with a giant air sack on his throat that sends his screams traveling up to 2.5 miles, or even a lion or black bear. Seeing how many of the zoo's animals had "endangered species" labels, as much as I feel for the animals in tiny cages having to listen to annoying children yelling and their parents not even trying to make them shut up, I felt so thankful the zoos are around to protect animals that make our world richer, more colorful, and a whole lot more interesting.
So while L.A.'s zoo may require you walk a whole damn lot to see all the animals and some of the habitats are unnervingly small, it's generally impressive and full of useful and informative info on the animals it houses and their environments. I spent almost 5 hours here and didn't even see everything there is on offer. I did however, see a gorilla barf into his own hand and then eat the vomit. Ah, the wonder of animals!
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The last time I went to this zoo was when I was still a kid (a long time ago...) and I remember even then thinking how cruel it was to have these poor animals in cages on display. I don't go to zoos anymore because they are CRUEL and not in the best interest of any of the animals. All that they teach people is how humans love to dominate over all of the other species that are here on earth with us. If you want to learn about wild animals, go see them in their natural habitat, not in a zoo where they are ripped away from their lives of freedom and put in tiny cages and stared at all day. Mankind has a lot to learn...
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Went here on Sunday, and got a not so good experience. It was too crowded, lots of screaming children, don't get me wrong, I love kids, but that was a different children crowd. The animals also not too many. Overall, San Diego Zoo can give a much better experience.
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This place should be shut down. I am by no means an animal activist, but come on! I was depressed about five cages into the place. The animal pens suck, they are way too small and many of them are smelly and dank.
Want an example? The Jaguar pen; it's small (around 15ft. by 30ft.), reeks of urine & feces, it's wet, and the ground is worn from the cat constantly pacing from one end to the other. While I was at the cage, over 80% of the people commented on how sad the cat's living conditions were.
On a side note: most of the visitors (including their children) appeared to rival or surpass the hippos in size, so watch your feet if you wear flip-flops like I did. You might be surprised to see how fast one of those fatties can move when they see cotton candy or even something shiny.
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This is a great zoo. My favorite guy in the place is the male orangutan who is HUGE! The baby gorilla is also super cute.
It's weird rating a zoo. So this is like 5 stars, which doesn't mean it beats like, some safari park or whatever, but it's an awesome place in LA, and the only one I can think of with a giant orangutan.
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