By Charly SHELTON

COVID-19 is still widespread across the state, but it is declining in impact every day. Currently, the state has 10.9 new COVID-19 positive cases per day per 100,000 people and the statewide positivity rate sits at 6%. In Los Angeles County, there are 13.1 new positive cases per day, per 100,000 people, and a 5% positivity rate across the County. This puts us in the widespread, or purple, tier of the new California metrics on reopening. Under the purple tier, some outdoor activities can reopen with adjustments in operations. This includes zoos and outdoor museums.

After more than five months behind closed gates, the Los Angeles Zoo has finally reopened to the public. With temperature screening, mandatory face coverings, social distancing and the closure of high-touch activities and indoor facilities, guests are finally welcomed back to see the animals.

“We are so excited to finally open our gates up to welcome our members and our guests back to the Zoo. We have been closed for a historic 166 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Denise M. Verret, CEO and director of the LA Zoo at a press conference for the reopening. “When we first closed on March 13th it was quite numbing to be in a zoo that would normally be filled with 10,000 guests on our busy weekends and holidays to being completely empty. But that did not stop our work. That did not stop what we know is important and that is being committed to the care of the animals, continuing our conservation efforts, maintaining the facility and the landscape. Many of our employees actually were working as disaster service workers throughout the city, working over 880 shifts to support those most in need in the community. So while we were closed, we were still doing very purposeful work.”

The Zoo has implemented the aforementioned safety measures and a few additional practices for the safety of both the humans and the animals. Some enclosures that are closer to humans, like the prairie dog habitat, have added distance from the railing. Signs scattered around the Zoo tell guests to keep “one zebra apart,” “one Komodo dragon apart,” “one hippo apart” or “three flamingos apart” as a way of judging how far six feet is while watching the respective animals. And any pathway that is less than eight feet wide has also been turned into a one-way traffic pedestrian lane with a defined entrance and exit.

This is how guests traveled when meeting the gorillas. And this habitat is of particular importance because of one special little girl.

Angela the baby gorilla was born back in January and was not yet three months old when the Zoo shut down. She has done quite a bit of growing since then and although she is familiar with her handlers and other zoo staff she is now fascinated to see the large groups of people coming to stare at her. This comes much to the chagrin of her parents, mother N’djia and father Kelly, who just want her to eat her breakfast and stop squirming closer to the glass.

Guests can now come visit Angela and all the other animals at the LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Timed tickets are available online for openings every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last entry slot at 3:45 p.m. Tickets are $17 for children ages 2 to 12, and $22 for everyone 13 and over; under 2 is free. These tickets do sell out so guests should plan ahead to secure their time.

  Charly Shelton