Author name: Denise Verret

It’s August, which means we are hosting nearly 900 Zoo Campers and are also taking our outreach programs to 36 parks throughout the City as part of the Recreation and Parks Summer Play L.A. program, where we are engaging over 1,000 campers.

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of traveling to Africa for the very first time in my life. The purpose of this trip was to prepare and inform me of the full journey I am going to co-lead in Botswana and Namibia later in the fall as part of the Zoo’s travel program, but what happened was far more incredible than anything I could have imagined.

Spring is one of my favorite seasons of the year – it’s a time of birth and renewal when the natural world around us springs back to life. We also use spring as a time to commemorate our planet and the role we all play in protecting it. As we embark on another year celebrating Earth Day on April 22, I am thinking about how the L.A. Zoo is making a sustainable impact on our planet.

Zoo CEO and Director Denise M. Verret reflects on the Zoo’s power to connect Angelenos from all walks of life with wildlife and nature.

This time last year, our Zoo was faced with an uncertain economic outlook as we remained closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last 15 months have been difficult, challenging, and even disheartening at times. Zoos, aquariums, and wildlife conservation organizations from all over the world were forced to thin their operating budgets and staffing to offset the deficits caused by the pandemic. However, hope does spring eternal, and I am confident