Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park

Visiting the Los Angeles Zoo was very frustrating. 

I remember back when I expressed an interest in the Santa Ana Zoo (on trips to Anaheim), people would be surprised, because there was so much more at Los Angeles or San Diego. However, the Santa Ana Zoo was a nice little zoo, and we got to see many animals in a short amount of time.

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-santa-ana-zoo-at-prentice-park.html

In contrast, we spent a lot of time trying to see animals at Los Angeles, but really saw more statues. Above is a rather nice statue of a koala; below the closest we came to seeing a live koala:

We had a better view of a hot little wallaby trying to rest in the shade.

The heat was a big part of the issue, and that was not the zoo's fault. We arrived in the middle of an unseasonably warm streak: 98 degrees in early April.

This meant that even animals adapted to pretty warm climates (like meerkats) were hiding.

I also do not object to the cassowaries being off display (here are some kookaburras instead) because they were nesting; they are very endangered and grumpy enough in the best of times. It was right to give them some privacy. However, everything combined made for a frustrating experience, and not an inexpensive one (adult admission is $25 and the shuttle cost another $5).

I believe a lot of that was navigation. We discovered a shuttle, and thought that this would solve a lot, but the shuttle stops were often not at great locations for access to exhibits. The stop at the play area had a very clear path, but we weren't interested in that.

That is not to say that it is not a good zoo. There are plenty of animals, including some not included at most zoos. That is not just true of the koalas, but also gorillas and komodo dragons.

There are just no guarantees you will get a good look at any of them. It would be easier to find out on a day where the heat wasn't draining all the life out of you.

(I thought it was just us, but when we had the news on later that day, the weather woman called it an exhausting heat as well. However, we did not turn into fossils like the one above.)

One of the highlights ended up being realizing in front of the flamingo habitat that this was where Pamela Barnes stood on one leg in the Three's Company credits. That clearly meant that the children's zoo was where 1 year old Jason Ritter toddled up to Joyce Dewitt and the goats.

Speaking of the flamingos, intruder alert! (Notice the very nonchalant mallard.)

We know it is possible to have a better experience than we had. It is also possible to have a worse one. So, it's just something to think about.

The Angus cheeseburgers at the Zoo Grill were unusually good. The stuff animals prices were ridiculously high, and the all metal water bottles were dangerous and difficult to open, cutting both Julie and I.

I assume the justification for the metal caps is that then the entire thing is recyclable, without a plastic cap that is only trash. However, bleeding all over the zoo did not make the experience better. (And then trying to get Neosporin and Band-Aids from the hotel was an entire ordeal. There was supposed to be a first aid station at the zoo, but we couldn't find it.)

Accessibility: There is no terrain that is impossible to traverse that we found. Any steps also had ramps available, and the shuttle had places for strollers between the cars. However, because there is so much ground to traverse, with directions not always clearly marked and not a lot of resting places, that can present other obstacles; more benches and shade could have helped. The shuttle does not help as much as you would hope with that.

COVID: Most things are outdoors, and people were pretty good about masks when in shops or lines, so that was appreciated.

If you go, try and stay cool out there.

https://www.lazoo.org/