Honoring Betty White
A lifelong lover of wildlife, Betty White was a Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) trustee and donor, passionate Zoo advocate, City of Los Angeles “Ambassador to the Animals,” and an honorary zookeeper. Here, we honor and celebrate her lasting and loving legacy at the L.A. Zoo. Photos by Tad Motoyama.
Quick Links
- Take “Betty’s L.A. Zoo Tour”
- “Be Like Betty” and donate to support wildlife and communities
- Browse “Betty’s Life at the L.A. Zoo” photo album
- Read the 2012 Zoo View profile of Betty in honor of her 90th birthday
- Watch hilarious Zoo ads starring Betty and her friend and fellow GLAZA trustee Slash
- Learn about Betty’s Zoo legacy and a cherished namesake program
Betty’s L.A. Zoo Tour
Walk in Betty White’s footsteps while visiting the Zoo! Take this 14-stop self-guided tour to see some of her favorite animals.
Be Like Betty
Betty was a passionate and committed supporter of the mission to save wildlife, enrich communities, and create connections to nature. You can be, too! Consider donating today to “Be Like Betty.”
I will never come away from a zoo visit without having seen something or learned something to remember.
Betty White in her book Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo
Betty’s Life at the L.A. Zoo
Explore five decades of friendship and advocacy through archival photos and remembrances from some of Betty’s favorite people—zookeepers!
Betty White Tribute Fund
To the many fans who have inquired about making a donation in Betty’s honor to the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), you may do so by clicking below. In the weeks following Betty’s death, the Zoo received more than 2,400 individual donations in her honor, gifts that were matched by the trustees of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. “With this donation match,” said Board of Trustee Chair Brian Diamond, “the GLAZA trustees want to show their love for Betty and give fans the opportunity to double their impact when honoring Betty and her commitment to animals.”
Betty’s Life at the L.A. Zoo
Explore five decades of friendship and advocacy through archival photos and remembrances from some of Betty’s favorite people—zookeepers!
From the Archives
L.A. ZOO BLOG: BETTY’S ANIMAL BUSINESS
In honor of her 90th birthday, Betty was profiled in the Winter 2012 issue of our premium member magazine, Zoo View. “I wanted to make clear the wonderful work that zoos do, not only in working with each other to keep the genetic pool diversified, but also in helping endangered wild populations,” she said at the time. “What we’ve learned about species in zoos we can apply to endangered wild animals—and prevent them from disappearing.”
Betty’s commercials for the LAIR
Along with fellow GLAZA trustee Slash, Betty starred in hilarious TV commercials promoting the March 2012 opening of the LAIR (Living Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles), which promised to be the “wildest spot in L.A.”
“the lair: Mexican Giant Horned Lizards”
“THE LAIR: Madagascar Radiated Tortoise”
“THE LAIR: Green Pythons”
Betty’s Legacy
For more than fifty years, Betty White was one of the Los Angeles Zoo’s most ardent admirers and devoted benefactors. Throughout her busy Hollywood career, she remained a steady presence at the Zoo. Always ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work, she was a longtime GLAZA trustee, a Zoo Commissioner, served on countless committees, and worked behind the scenes to raise funds for new animal habitats and initiatives. And, because of plans that she put in motion before she died, her legacy will continue to live on in myriad ways here, thanks in part to a private foundation established to support the place she called her “home away from home.
A key initiative funded by Betty’s foundation is the Zoo Pals scholarship program, which provides students from under-resourced Los Angeles schools with opportunities to experience the magic and wonder of the Zoo. In tribute to Betty’s enduring support for the Zoo, animals, and the communities of L.A., the program was renamed Betty White’s Zoo Pals in 2023.
“Betty’s Life at the L.A. Zoo” Photo Album
Explore five decades of friendship and advocacy through archival photos and remembrances from some of Betty’s favorite people – zookeepers!
Students from under-served L.A. schools experience the magic and wonder of the Zoo thanks to Betty White’s Zoo Pals scholarship program.