Exploring The Abandoned Los Angeles Zoo! The Filming Location For Parks And Recreation! Eraser! And More!

My sister was in town this past weekend and while it was a short visit… Way too short, we decided to have a fun day at the Los Angeles Zoo. Well, actually Becka decided that we would have a fun day at the Los Angeles Zoo.

We had a blast at the zoo, and it was fun to see all the animals, elephants, lizards, and more.

When she said she would like to head the zoo, I immediately thought of a little known place here in Los Angeles, the abandoned Los Angeles Zoo. This was the original zoo that Los Angeles was known for and predecessor to the current zoo.

The abandoned zoo closed in the mid sixties and the city decided to leave the animal encloses intact for residents to enjoy and explore. I’m not sure why, a sign at the site said that they were left so that people can understand developments in zoological sciences.

Personally, I found it fascinating.

It would have been better had we not picked the one day out of the year that it was pouring to go on our little adventure. My sister hates rain, and yet she’s from Michigan… hmmmm

There are smaller cages that were home to monkeys, and other smaller animals while the larger enclosures held Lions, Tigers and more.

It’s so sad to think of animals being stuck in such a small space, and I’m so thankful that times have changed.

Some of the cages are even open so you can go inside.

Over the years, many films and television series have used the enclosures for filming.

A Parks and Recreation episode featuring the Pawnee Zoo was shot here. It was here where Lesley Knope helped the gay penguins find love.

As my good friend Lindsay from I Am Not A Stalker has noted in her awesome recap, Eraser with Arnold Schwarzenegger was shot at the old zoo. It was heavily dressed and a pool was put in to make the zoo even more real.

In Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, the abandoned zoo stood in from San Diego’s Zoo. This is where the panda gave birth.

We were able to take a lot of fun photos!

I highly recommend checking out the local, as it’s a rare part of Los Angeles history.

Also, check out Lindsay’s in depth historical recap of the Los Angeles Abandoned Zoo!

The old zoo is located around the corner from the Merry Go Round, which coincidentally was used in the original Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie as well as an episode of the series as well.

The zoo is located at

4730 Crystal Springs Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90027

It can be difficult to find, but it’s to the right of the merry go round.

Special thanks to Linds for the awesome screencaps!