Conservation - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Enriching Our Communities and Restoring Habitat

Digging Deeper into the Oak Woodland Restoration and Career Pathways Project By: Cortney Vargas A quiet hillside on the edge of the Los Angeles Zoo is about to tell a new story: one of ecological restoration, community partnership, and a shared vision for the future. Once used for equipment storage and long overlooked, this patch of land within Zoo grounds is being transformed into a vibrant native oak woodland through the Oak Woodland Restoration and […]

Enriching Our Communities and Restoring Habitat Read more

Field Notes: Bats in Florida and Jamaica with Cortney Vargas

Venture into the field with Cortney Vargas as she assists with bat acoustic monitoring program and learns about the challenges facing bats.

Field Notes: Bats in Florida and Jamaica with Cortney Vargas Read more

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.

The Obscure Obscurus Read more

A rattlesnake with its body coiled and partly covered in dirt

Raising Our Voices: Amplifying Teen Voices for a Just & Sustainable Los Angeles

The Teen Council for Conservation serves as an equitable pathway for young Angelenos to voice their concerns and actively engage in developing meaningful solutions. It is a transformative journey, evolving each year with new cohorts working towards creating a just and sustainable world where people and wildlife thrive, together.

Raising Our Voices: Amplifying Teen Voices for a Just & Sustainable Los Angeles Read more

Field Notes: Kenya

A three-person team from the Zoo recently traveled to Kenya to meet with partners from African Conservation Centre and discuss a first-of-its-kind project near Amboseli National Park.

Field Notes: Kenya Read more

The team poses with Rosemary Nenini, manager of Twala Women's Cultural Center, and her husband, Edward.

Zoo Successfully Implements Avian Flu Vaccines in CA Condors

We’ve reached another conservation milestone for California condors. This summer and fall, birds from the L.A. Zoo participated in successful, historic vaccine trials, furthering condor recovery efforts by creating a potential shield against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The trial was developed in coordination with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA, and U.S. Geological Service and was carried out by the L.A. Zoo, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Oregon Zoo, and Carolina Raptor Center.

Zoo Successfully Implements Avian Flu Vaccines in CA Condors Read more

Closeup of a young California condor with black feathers and a dark bill

Connecting Habitats: The Los Angeles Zoo Supports Development of Democratic Republic of Congo Wildlife Corridor

I am excited to share a new biodiversity initiative that the Los Angeles Zoo is supporting, which provides you with the unique opportunity to help support the conservation of Grauer’s gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Connecting Habitats: The Los Angeles Zoo Supports Development of Democratic Republic of Congo Wildlife Corridor Read more

Standing at a lectern, Dr. Jake Owens, L.A. Zoo Director of Conservation, opens ‘Gathering for Gorillas’ event on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. An image of a Grauer's gorilla and the text "World Gorilla Day" are projected on a screen behind him.

Behind the Scenes: New Pollinator Garden

Planting a garden is an act of courage that looks to the future and sometimes challenges nature itself.

Behind the Scenes: New Pollinator Garden Read more

A monarch butterfly perched on a purple flower

Zoo Joins Fight to Save North American Songbirds

Since 1970, North American bird populations have suffered a net decline of approximately three billion birds.

Zoo Joins Fight to Save North American Songbirds Read more

side view of a black raven perched on a stump

Keepers Reunite with Orangutan

In August, orangutan keepers Kathryn Vivian and Stania Olivera and senior keeper of apes Megan Fox attended the 15th annual Orangutan Species Survival Plan (OSSP) conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their trip was filled with ideas for training, enrichment, and problem solving, but it also held a special reunion with a beloved orangutan friend—and her new baby.

Keepers Reunite with Orangutan Read more