Blog - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Zoo Update with GLAZA Interim President Dawn Petersen-Amend

Whether you choose to attend one or several of our spring events, sign up for a special tour, or simply decide to visit the Zoo to enjoy the weather, animals, and botanical wonders, all of us at GLAZA look forward to welcoming you to your L.A. Zoo this spring. We hope your visits are inspiring, relaxing, and renewing as you appreciate this special place and celebrate the arrival of spring.

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Giant otter Misty plays near a small waterfall.

Celebrate the Year of the Snake

This year’s Lunar New Year celebrations are ushering in the Year of the Snake—fang-tastic news since the Zoo is home to an especially wide variety of vipers, boas, pythons, and more. For a sneak preview of the snakes you’ll see in the Zoo’s LAIR, as well as some fun facts, check out the photos in our gallery. These reptiles are nothing to hiss at!

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A close up of a Bushmaster coiled up in it's enclosure.

Student Trip Diary: Conservation Education in Brazil

The opportunity to apply to the Duttenhaver Conservation Field Program was given to me through my high school. I had learned this program allowed students to participate in environmental conservation studies around the world, and in 2024 they were sending students to Brazil. The scientific question being studied: Are animals reinhabiting reforested areas? When I was accepted to the program, I was in complete disbelief.

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Students take a group photo with a waterfall in the background.

Zoo Update with Zoo Director and CEO Denise M. Verret

Normally, this time of year fills me with anticipation and excitement for the year ahead, as I reflect on the holiday season and hope everyone enjoyed restful moments with friends, family, and loved ones. However, this year has been different. Our city, our communities, and our neighbors have been deeply impacted by the devastating wildfires that have ravaged Southern California.

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Wombat named Murray at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Zoo Update with GLAZA Interim President Dawn Petersen-Amend

We’ve got a Zoo for every mood: Come for L.A. Zoo Lights: Animals Aglow, or plan for Lunar New Year; or, if you’re like many visitors and members, you’ll appreciate a brisk morning walk around the uncrowded paths and the surprise sights and sounds of animals awakening to a new day. Whether you prefer a stimulating celebration or a quiet stroll to enjoy the animals, the crisp air, and the beautiful flora, we sincerely hope you will visit your Zoo again very soon!

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New Sensory Support Room

In a major next step in our work to create the most comfortable and inclusive experience possible when visiting the Los Angeles Zoo, we are now proud to offer a mobile sensory support room in partnership with the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation and the Georgina Fredrick Children’s Foundation. For many individuals—particularly those with autism, dementia, PTSD, and other similar conditions—the noise and activity of public spaces can become overwhelming. “There are so

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The Obscure Obscurus

Do you ever lie awake at night pondering the fate of Crotalus willardi obscurus? If so, you have something in common with Byron Wusstig, acting curator of ectotherms at the Los Angeles Zoo. Of course, most readers will never have heard of this little-known reptile, but Wusstig and his colleagues are hoping to change that.

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Zoo Update with Zoo Director and CEO Denise M. Verret

As we approach the holidays and wrap up another year at the Los Angeles Zoo, I find myself reflecting on the many blessings we’ve experienced over the past year and the feeling of accomplishment and hope that comes with the new year on the horizon. This year has me feeling particularly grateful for family, friends, and colleagues and an inspiring sense of renewal as we approach 2025. I am excited for new opportunities and continued

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Celebrated CA Condor Keepers Leaving the Nest

Storied L.A. Zoo California condor keepers Mike Clark and Chandra David are retiring after a life-changing and world-changing career. We’re catching up and saying goodbye with an epic recap of all the helicopters, climbing gear, cutting-edge science, and Advil it takes to save a species. Plus, discover the sounds, sights, sacrifices they will never forget and the eleventh-hour “hail Mary” that may help keep the condor program moving forward even as these two stalwarts are taking a well-deserved rest. Heads up: It’s going to be a literal cliffhanger.

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In With the New!

Zoo Director and CEO Denise M. Verret has been sworn in as the one hundredth Chair of the Board of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the accrediting body of the Los Angeles Zoo and the global standard of excellence for zoos and aquariums worldwide. “Being the 100th chair and the first black woman to serve in this role is not lost on me,” Verret says. “It’s an incredible milestone and opportunity.”

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