Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens Los Angeles Zoo News 2025

Angelo Ferradas said:
Hello. So we have had a family membership for the LA over the last several years. My wife went today with our 2 kids and her mother. When we renewed our membership we were allowed entrance to a member plus a guest if the other member isn't present. They gave her a hard time and forced my mother in law to purchase a ticket saying the membership stipulations had changed on July 1st when GLAZA parted ways. Neither my wife nor I remember seeing a correspondence detailing the new membership details. Even so, how is it fair that the membership benefits are changed after we have already completed the transaction for membership under other pretenses. Can anyone shed light on this?
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I’d certainly recommend writing to the zoo directly about this. This is very poor customer service.
 
George the red-legged seriema sadly passed away last week. His mate passed away in February and thus the exhibit is now empty. The only remaining animal in that roundhouse is the crested caracara, who shared an exhibit with the female lowland (spotted) paca who passed away last month (noted in the Animal Transactions shared by @African Grey in post #322).

Poquito the Geoffroy's spider monkey has moved from the roundhouse with the crested capuchins and howler monkeys to the middle exhibit in the roundhouse with the king vulture and spectacled owl. His former exhibit is currently empty.
 
Update from my Volunteer Shift from yesterday, 9/7/2025

-The Animal Care Center had a lot of encihrment involving tree limbs, branches, and leaves for the Habitats of the Sloth, Porcupine, Squirrels, Tamanduas, and Sakis/Armadillo.
-The Lair Building had Big Changes
-The Former Boelen's Python now has two Mangshan Pit Vipers.
-The Former Rough-scaled Python Habitat is now home to a new species at the Zoo: Socotra Island Blue Baboon Tarantulas.
-The Rough-scaled Python moved to the Desert Lair in the Grey-headed Kingsnake Habitat.
-The Grey-headed Kingsnakes moved to the Rock Rattlesnake Habitat.
-The Chinese Giant Salmanders have been given artificial burrows, which are old pipes, and I was lucky to get a head photo of one.
-In the Drylands Bird area, other than the Blue Peafowl, there is also a female Australian Wood Duck and a Red-billed Blue Magpie.
-The Former Lowland Anoa Habitat is being prepared for Visayan Warty Pigs to be moved there, and the Former Addax Habitat will be an expansion for the Chacoan Peccaries next door, as told by the Staff.
-In the Australia section, the Perches for the Koalas have been removed since the last one left, and from the Facebook Page, a Tammar wallaby was born.
-Lastly, my Shift was at the Chimpanzee Penthouse because Chimpanzee Yoshi had a baby who was displayed with her mother, Virginia.
 
Coelacanth18 said:
Wait, so... did the zoo phase out Koalas? I thought they were just between animals.
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Last month an Australia area keeper mentioned at the exhibit that an invasive beetle had been attacking the eucalyptus trees the zoo grew to feed the koalas. As a result, the zoo had been relying upon eucalyptus bought from outside suppliers for awhile, but if I remember what she said, it was very hard to find whatever types they really liked to eat, and thus it was better for the remaining koala Burra to move back to San Diego. Given the situation with the invasive species of beetle, it sounds like there are no immediate plans to get koalas again if the zoo can't grow their own eucalyptus trees to feed them.
 
Elena said:
Last month an Australia area keeper mentioned at the exhibit that an invasive beetle had been attacking the eucalyptus trees the zoo grew to feed the koalas. As a result, the zoo had been relying upon eucalyptus bought from outside suppliers for awhile, but if I remember what she said, it was very hard to find whatever types they really liked to eat, and thus it was better for the remaining koala Burra to move back to San Diego. Given the situation with the invasive species of beetle, it sounds like there are no immediate plans to get koalas again if the zoo can't grow their own eucalyptus trees to feed them.
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I hope they bring in Tree kangaroos tbh
 
Elena said:
Vindi the chimpanzee had a baby girl on Tuesday, September 9. They can be seen in the Penthouse with some other female chimps, including Yoshi and her daughter who was born on August 20.
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Wonderful to see Los Angeles breeding chimps again! Fingers crossed for more births in the future.

These are the first consecutive births in over a decade since the last cohort was born between 2012 and 2014.
 
My Latest Visit Update at the Zoo (9/28/2025)

-Muriel's Ranch has been reopened, and the Goats and Pigs are on Display.
-There are Animal Wing Photo Props and a Second Story Book Sign Trail focusing on the Monarch Butterfly, the first one was on Axototls.
-The Scarlet Ibises were moved to the Walk-through aviary.
-The Lights are on in the Socrota Island Blue Baboon Tarantula Habitat in the Lair.
-Rock Hyrax habitat is now occupied by the Ring-tailed Lemurs as a secondary habitat.
-The second Chinese Goral Yard has been closed off, same with the Seriemas.
-I managed to see the Ocelot, Tammar Wallaby Joey, Addax, Red River Hogs, and a glimpse of the Ruppell's Sand Fox.
-Geoffrey's Spider Monkeys moved to the Former Jaguar, Giant Anteater, and white-faced Saki Habitat.
-I noticed a loose Wooden Pole Fence on the Swan Habitat, and Mice are swarming the Spur-winged Lapwing and Speckled Mousebird Habitat. I had them reported to some Staff Members.
 
Heartbreaking news: Great Ape researcher and major supporter of the Los Angeles Zoo, Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91. Jane Goodall was a significant part of the LA Zoos history, hailing the Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains exhibit as one the best in the world. She also served as an ambassador to the zoos conservation programs, speaking at the zoo many times. She will be greatly missed.
 
Westcoastperson said:
Heartbreaking news: Great Ape researcher and major supporter of the Los Angeles Zoo, Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91. Jane Goodall was a significant part of the LA Zoos history, hailing the Chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains exhibit as one the best in the world. She also served as an ambassador to the zoos conservation programs, speaking at the zoo many times. She will be greatly missed.
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I saw her talk at the zoo once. It was a highlight. Her work on chimpanzees was groundbreaking and fundamentally important scientific discovery, and her conservation work was even more important and impactful.
 
Feels like the zoo is phasing out the zoo. I still haven't felt moved to go, and a result, still haven't renewed. Had been a member for 10+ years, if anyone from the zoo cares about that sort of thing.
 
Looks like I'll be going back to the zoo with family tomorrow since I'll be in the area anyways, hoping to see the baby chimps, LAIR, giant otters, jaguar, bongo antelope, and especially the tasmanian devils.

Any reccomended times for seeing the chimps, giant otters, jaguar, bongo, painted dogs, mountain tapir, and tasmanian devils being active?

Any other major rarities I should keep an eye out for? Any other notable herps besides the chinese giant salamander to keep an eye out for in LAIR?
 
I would recommend stopping by the chimps @ 12:30pm for a keeper talk. Some rare species I would look out for (anyone feel free to add any species I missed or details):
  • Calamian Deer (Axis calamianensis)- notoriously difficult to spot but my last visit in September 2024 it was on exhibit around 12:50pm, I believe someone here mentions best time is about 2 hours of the zoo opening.
  • Somali Ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes)- same area alongside deer, from my experience more easier to spot.
  • Western Siberian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo sibiricus)- one of C-shaped exhibits with the sea eagles above the chimp area.
  • Rüppell’s Sand Fox (Vulpes rueppellii)- one of C-shaped exhibits @ the Drylands (with Wild Dogs and Zebras)
  • Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque)
  • Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons)
And though not that rare, I think maybe that the LAIR still has a juvenile Perentie. Enjoy your visit! :)
 
peruvianbirdie said:
I would recommend stopping by the chimps @ 12:30pm for a keeper talk. Some rare species I would look out for (anyone feel free to add any species I missed or details):
  • Calamian Deer (Axis calamianensis)- notoriously difficult to spot but my last visit in September 2024 it was on exhibit around 12:50pm, I believe someone here mentions best time is about 2 hours of the zoo opening.
  • Somali Ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes)- same area alongside deer, from my experience more easier to spot.
  • Western Siberian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo sibiricus)- one of C-shaped exhibits with the sea eagles above the chimp area.
  • Rüppell’s Sand Fox (Vulpes rueppellii)- one of C-shaped exhibits @ the Drylands (with Wild Dogs and Zebras)
  • Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque)
  • Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons)
And though not that rare, I think maybe that the LAIR still has a juvenile Perentie. Enjoy your visit! :)
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What’s the best time to see the Sand Fox or Tufted Deer?
 
Thomas said:
What’s the best time to see the Sand Fox or Tufted Deer?
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I honestly never got to see those ones, the fox is another notoriously difficult one to see, and it’s been a long time last time I saw the deers (IIRC they’re located on the top area of the zoo on a slope exhibit). I believe some here have seen these.
 
peruvianbirdie said:
I honestly never got to see those ones, the fox is another notoriously difficult one to see, and it’s been a long time last time I saw the deers (IIRC they’re located on the top area of the zoo on a slope exhibit). I believe some here have seen these.
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I only got a glimpse of the sand fox’s ears in it’s shelter the last time.
 
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