Mister Garcetti, Tear Down This Zoo!

You are not going to believe what I found out about Los Angeles.We spend $1,059.48 per month to buy large, frozen, disease-free rats to feed zoo animals.Rick Orlov, you were right to mention the rats in your recent column for the Los Angeles Daily News. Thank you.

As the population in Los Angeles begins adopting vegetarian (and vegan) lifestyles why would we take our children to visit the zoo? Yes, the experience can be fun, entertaining and educational but it is cruel to the Wild animals locked in their cages.

We spend so much in labor, feeding, housing and related costs in maintaining the zoo. So many of the animals appear to be sad and distressed-looking. Why not tear it down and build something meaningful for the future? We congratulate the Los Angeles Zoo for its successful breeding program for the California condor but we can’t rationalize the locking of animals. It’s time to close the zoo and put the property to better use for our booming population. Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is in a perfect family-friendly location. Parking fees help to control the beauty and cleanliness of the area. School children are thrilled when they have a field trip to visit for the day. It’s an outstanding venue.

We could use the zoo space to create beautiful open spaces for picnics and play areas. We could build a band shell for concerts and family-oriented shows. Maybe present “Shakespeare in the Park”. We could install a parking lot and tram entrance like the Getty Museum. It would be a wonderful, safe destination for natives and tourists alike -- a treasured legacy for future generations.