| By 1956, the city of Los Angeles had outgrown | | | | is an important fundraiser for the Zoo, but |
| the small Griffith Park Zoo. The citizens | | | | only the visitors get to eat; in the interest |
| passed a $6.6 million bond measure to help | | | | of health and safety, the L.A. Zoo was the |
| build a new one and a 113-acre site in | | | | 1st major zoo in the United States to |
| Griffith Park was chosen as the new location. | | | | prohibit visitors from feeding the animals, |
| In 1964 a private, nonprofit organization was | | | | and maintains the policy today. |
| created to support the new facility. The zoo | | | | |
| then began raising money and acquiring | | | | The Los Angeles Zoo became an accredited |
| animals | | | | member of the American Zoo and Aquarium |
| | | | Association (AZA) in 1972. Just 2 years later |
| When the Los Angeles Zoo opened in 1966 it | | | | Dr. Warren D. Thomas became Zoo Director. |
| was the 4th zoo to serve | | | | |
| the city. The Greater Los Angeles Zoo | | | | Thomas assembled one of the world 's most |
| Association (GLAZA) had already graduated a | | | | respecteded animal collections during his |
| class of trained, volunteer docents and had | | | | 17-year tenure. The zoo acquired rare and |
| produced several issues of a quarterly | | | | endangered species, including the Sumatran |
| magazine called Zoo View. Some 80,000 | | | | Rhino, the Jentink's and Zebra duikers, |
| Angelenos attended the November opening of | | | | yellow-footed rock wallabies, giant elands, |
| the Los Angeles Zoo (also in attendance was | | | | gerenuks, emperor tamarins, and bongos. The |
| an alligator named Methuselah, who is still a | | | | Andrew Norman Education Center, the |
| resident of the zoo today). | | | | ZooMobile, Wolf Woods and Monkey Island, were |
| | | | all built in the Thomas-era1970's, as were |
| In 1967 the zoo acquired 3 endangered Arabian | | | | new exhibits for gorillas, orangutans and |
| Oryx for $75,000. The Los Angeles Zoo | | | | flamingos, |
| cooperated with the only other American zoo | | | | |
| to house Oryx, the Phoenix Zoo, to | | | | In the 1980's the Zoo became part of the new |
| successfully bred the gazelle-like animals, | | | | California Condor Recovery Program. In 1982 |
| which were facing extinction in the wild. | | | | the Zoo built the extensive "condorminiums," |
| Today descendants of those animals have been | | | | which are still considered among the finest |
| reintroduced to the wild in Israel, and other | | | | and largest facilities in the condor recovery |
| descendants of that original L.A. Zoo herd | | | | program. In1982 the Ahmanson Koala House was |
| live on at the zoo. | | | | opened. Currently the Los Angeles Zoo the |
| | | | only zoo in the world to exhibit these |
| The Los Angeles Zoo's 1st Beastly Ball was | | | | nocturnal animals in a darkened setting. |
| held in 1970. This safari-themed dinner-dance | | | | |