Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Did somebody say #EarthDay? The now-legendary California condor Topa-topa came to the Zoo as a malnourished fledgling rescued from the wild in 1967. By 1981, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Fish and Game Commission agreed to establish a captive breeding program for the species, which had dwindled to just 22 individuals and was facing near-certain extinction. Since then, and with Topa's help as a keystone breeder, California condor numbers have soared to more than 500 individuals, more than 300 of which live in the wild. To learn about the species-saving California Condor Recovery Program, other conservation programs, and what you can do to help defend biodiversity, visit: lazoo.org/save-wildlife #TopaTopa #CaliforniaCondor #Condor #Conservation #SavingSpecies #LAZoo : LouAnne Brickhouse

Let the journey begin! Today, #EarthDay, we're officially kicking off our Walk for the Wild fitness and fundraising adventure with an #OpeningCeremony presentation featuring GLAZA President Tom Jacobson and some of your favorite animals. (Watch 'til the end!) It's an inspiring introduction to this event that will get you motivated and moving. To learn more, register, and take advantage of the special Earth Day match offer that Tom mentions, visit www.lazoo.org/walkforthewild.... (Offer good while supplies last for the first 500 new registrations today, April 22, only. See site for details.) #WalkForTheWild supports the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, the L.A. Zoo, and our shared mission to save species and provide a safe and inspiring place for our community to build a relationship with nature. Presented by SKECHERS

Ya’ll, Rebecca the ostrich is gorgeous from *all* angles. #invert #inverted #invertedchallenge #symmetry #symmetrical #ostrich #bigbird #birdsofinstagram #lazoo : Animal Keeper Elaine Chu

Based on the quiet siamang moment captured here, you might not guess that these black-furred gibbons are among the loudest animals at the Zoo. With the help of their large, inflatable throat sacs, siamangs can project their songs up to two miles away! #ApeAwarenessMonth #Siamang #SingItSiamang #Gibbon #Ape #EndangeredSpecies

It's international #SnowLeopardDay! The L.A. Zoo is home to a breeding pair of snow leopards, Georgina and Fred. They arrived at the Zoo in 2015, and successfully birthed their first pair of cubs in 2017. In the wild, snow leopards are naturally solitary, normally living and hunting alone as adults. Georgina and Fred, however, have a bonded and balanced relationship. "Fred and Georgina are incredibly compatible, spending lots of time grooming and sharing space together," says... Animal Keeper Stephanie Zielinksi. "Georgina is the more feisty of the two and has a confident personality. Fred is sweet, sensitive and playful. It’s very rewarding to see their great relationship, and we’re hopeful for more cubs in the future!" While snow leopards are no longer listed as Endangered by the IUCN, their populations are still decreasing due to poaching, habitat loss, prey loss, and human encroachment. The L.A. Zoo participates in the snow leopard SSP (Species Survival Plan), which maintains healthy populations of this beautiful and elusive cat for future generations to come. : Stephanie Zielinski, Jamie Pham See more

This bodacious, beauteous, baddie of a Brazilian black tarantula is a #SpookyHero self-defense master! If attacked, she is able to protect herself in a split-second by flicking the hairs off of her back toward any adversary who dares attack her. These aren't your ordinary fluffy hairs; these are "urticating" hairs covered with microscopic barbs that lodge into skin like fiberglass, causing pain and itching. With such cunning means of defense, it's no wonder that female Brazilian black tarantulas can live up to 30 years! #TarantulaBaddieHairFlip Stay tuned through the rest of October for more incredible #SpookyHero invertebrates and their amazing super powers!

Richard the southern hairy-nosed wombat is celebrating #WombatDay with a delicious "cake" mound of hay! As herbivores, wombats graze up to 8 hours a day on grasses and other vegetation. Thanks to their extremely slow metabolism, wombats absorb so much moisture from the food they eat that they are able to stay hydrated without drinking water. This incredible adaptation means Richard will likely be digesting Wombat Day hay for the next two weeks! #AintNoPartyLikeAWombatParty

From our Conservation Ambassador LouAnne: Remember when I said the members of the Condor Team are like the Navy Seals of the Los Angeles Zoo? Look at this telling moment from the health check (see earlier post) California condor chick #LA1720 is practicing being ferocious and Keeper Mike is COMPLETELY CALM. I’m pretty sure most of us would be screaming and/or running in the other direction. But this isn’t how the Condor Team thinks. They are only considering this baby’s poi...nt of view. Condors are extremely perceptive and the goal of the team is to keep all anxiety to a minimum. The team has trained themselves not to react. Even when they get bit, they don’t react! Once the chick (or mature bird) strikes and there’s no reaction, it’s followed by a more calm, tranquil mindset. And, if this isn’t incredible enough, not only does the team have nerves of steel but they also climb giant trees and cliffs to check on their beloveds. (LOOK AT THE PHOTOS OF TEAM MEMBERS CHANDRA, DEBBIE AND MIKE!) Imagine being hundreds of feet up on a cliff, IN A WILD CONDOR NEST, and a baby and/or the parents with their nearly ten-foot wingspan are giving you a piece of their mind. I never thought of conservation work as requiring a nerves-of-steel mentality, capacity for pain and endurance, or that anyone is putting their lives at risk, but this is what they’re doing every day to save a species from extinction. I wanted you to know, too. Because... WOW. The hope is real. LouAnne, honored to be the Zoo's Conservation Ambassador Field : Keeper Chandra David and USFWS #heroesamongus #californiacondor #wildlifeconservation #lazoo #savingspecies #vulture #criticallyendangered #conservationambassador #babybird #californiacondorrecoveryprogram #zoobaby #zoobabies LouAnne (IG @thedailyjames) is a professional storyteller and the Zoo's first-ever Conservation Ambassador. On her social media channels and ours, she is chronicling the Zoo's efforts to breed, care for, and restore to the wild critically endangered California condors. Search #LA1720 to see all of LouAnne's posts to date about this particular chick and keep following along for updates as the story continues.

How it started How it's going Earlier this year, we successfully bred fringe-limbed tree frogs for the first time in our history! In fact, they were the first hatching of 2020. It was the culmination of two years of work to breed this elusive species that is rarely seen in the wild or in other zoos or aquariums. We're happy to report that things are going pretty well. #ReptileAndAmphibianAwarenessDay : Ian Recchio, Jamie Pham

HJ and Jabari, two of our bachelor western lowland gorillas, enjoy their pumpkin pies slightly...undercooked. With a diet primarily consisting of leaves, bark, shoots, roots, and fruits, a little gourd during spooky season makes a delicious enriching treat! How do you like to eat pumpkins during this time of year? : Keeper Tania Prebble

Feelin' bleppy on this beautiful day! (Watch for the wink at the end. ) #TongueOutTuesday #InternationalSlothDay #CharlieTheSloth : Keeper Megan Holmstedt

#CharlieTheSloth enjoys a favorite snack in honor of #InternationalSlothDay! What are some of *your* go-to celebratory snacks? #topnoms #noms

It's a double duiker #blep for #TongueOutTuesday! : Mike Elliott

#MondayMood It looks like this spotted thick-knee is not quite ready to tackle the day. These nocturnal birds hunt insects, lizards, and small mammals throughout the night. As the sun rises, they squat and sleep, camouflaged amongst the grasses. : Dwight Raymond

Tonight's plans:

BABY ALERT! Say hello to our newest Masai giraffe calf, born to mother Zanibu and father Philip. At birth, the male calf weighed 155 pounds and stood over 6 feet tall. Like all giraffes, this calf was born with horn-like ossicones, which lay flat on the head during birth and pop up around one week later. "This calf has been very inquisitive about the new world around him," says Animal Keeper Mike Bona. "It's fun watching him explore and build relationships with the other he...rd members." Giraffes across Africa are estimated to have a total population of just over 100,000 individuals. While giraffe populations as a whole have declined by 40% in the past 30 years, Masai giraffe populations have declined 50% within that same time period. Masai giraffes were classified as Endangered by the IUCN in 2019, which makes every birth important to preserving this iconic animal from extinction. #zoobaby #zoobabies #endangeredspecies See more

Our flamingos are having a gourd time partying like flock stars into the weekend! : Learning and Engagement Shelby Pratte