Griffith Park Zoo Abandoned Bear Enclosures

Abandoned bear enclosures at the original Griffith Park Zoo in Los Angeles, which operated from 1912 to 1965.
Abandoned bear enclosures at the original Griffith Park Zoo in Los Angeles, which operated from 1912 to 1965.

These stone grottos are remnants of the original Griffith Park Zoo, which operated from 1912 until 1966. The zoo's bear dens were built into artificial rock formations meant to suggest a more natural enclosure than the barred cages common at the time. When the Los Angeles Zoo opened nearby in 1966, the old zoo grounds were left in place rather than demolished. The enclosures now sit along a paved walking path in Griffith Park, open to visitors as a historic ruin rather than a functioning exhibit.

Photo taken in November 2011.

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