quick, cell phone camera tour, March 2, 2008
“Site of the Old Los Angeles Zoo”
“The Griffith Park canyon area served as the City’s Zoo from its founding in 1912 to 1965, when the Los Angeles Zoo moved to its current location about two miles north of where you are currently standing. Many of the walls, grottos, and other enclosures you see today were built in the 1930s by County Relief workers and Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews. Once, bears, lions, monkeys, macaws, goats, elephants, reptiles, and turtles, among others, lived here and the sound of their growls, roars, calls, and clamor filled this canyon. Although these historic enclosures are no longer appropriate for housing animals, they can be home to memories of family visits to the Griffith Park Zoo, as well as an opportunity to better understand development in the zoological sciences. Please enjoy and respect the buildings, walls, and habitats you will discover today.”