I recently heard rumors of an old abandoned zoo in Los Angeles, so I went to check it out. After a short hike, I found the old zoo which had been converted into a picnic area. The zoo was open from 1912-1966 until a new zoo was built two miles away to replace it. Although the old zoo has some picnic tables available, it appears largely unmaintained as many caged corridors reek of urine, are adorned in graffiti, and are filled with garbage (including many empty medical marijuana containers and whole or shattered bottles of liquor). Many of the cages are open, and people exploring the area crawl between the small cages and climb through giant holes in the fences to see more, despite the garbage and odor, because the place is creepy and downright fascinating. Along the way, I encountered a young couple smoking a blunt, a family flying a drone, a dance team of young Asian girls filming a hip-hop music video, and a few tourists who had found the place despite most locals having never heard of it. I have been to several spooky abandoned sites around the world, but I was surprised to find this bizarre unkempt gem right here in Los Angeles.
