The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a 133-acre (54 ha) zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California. The city of Los Angeles owns the zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals. Animal care, grounds maintenance, construction, education, public information, and administrative staff are city employees. As of June 2019, Denise M. Verret serves as the zoo's director, the first female African American director of an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institution.