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A gorilla sat on a blanket on a secluded grassy patch in an enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo and calmly munched lettuce leaves. It appeared to be a perfect socially distanced activity for a bright and sunny Tuesday afternoon.
Onlookers gathered for their own pandemic-friendly excursions. The zoo had re-reopened that morning after shuttering Dec. 7 for the second time amid the COVID-19 pandemic and attendees were eager to see the animals. Many were eager just to be doing something, anything, outside their homes.
The gorilla paused his picnic to look back at the small crowd, the first “fans” he’d seen in just over two months. From the other side of the enclosure, Riley Hampsten, 5, of Lancaster, exclaimed, “Hey, I’m looking at you, and you’re looking at me, and you’re funny.”
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park gorillas who tested positive for COVID-19 in January have now fully recovered from the virus, officials said. Some of our spaces are closed, like our indoor lair building, the carousel, our play park, spaces that are difficult to keep safe and sanitary and then our outdoor dining is limited, 25% capacity and then indoor retail also has limited capacity, said Denise Verret, the zoo s CEO and director .
Although it s not the same experience, guests are happy to be one step closer to some kind of normalcy. As long as everybody s smart and follows the CDC rules for health you know, get through it, said Brian Kernan, a Burbank resident.