LA Zoo honors Betty White with rose garden, self-guided tour

The Los Angeles Zoo Wednesday honored the late actress Betty White — a longtime zoo supporter — with the opening of a white rose memorial garden located in an area named for her late husband.

Zoo visitors can leave a message, memory, or drawing on a card honoring White, who died Dec. 31 at the age of 99 at her Brentwood home. The cards will then be displayed on a gold string hung between silk white roses in the Allen Ludden Plaza.

The memorial garden will be up through the end of January.

The television star best known for Emmy Award-winning roles on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Golden Girls” was a supporter of the zoo for more than five decades, said Tom Jacobson, president of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

“We are so thankful for her generosity, humility, and of course, humor,” he said. “After her passing, there has been an outpouring of love for Betty with tributes from around the globe, so we think honoring her at Ludden Plaza, a place very special to her, would serve as the perfect backdrop to this public memorial. We also want to reflect on her life at the L.A. Zoo by sharing some more intimate moments of Betty with our animals and staff as well as her indelible contributions.”

The zoo has also created the self-guided “Betty’s L.A. Zoo Tour” honoring White’s contributions to the facility. The tour includes signs at 16 stops where guests can learn about her connection to a particular animal or location through a series of pictures and quotes.

The walking tour will be up through Jan. 31, paying homage to White’s longtime dedication to animals and the L.A. Zoo.

For those unable to visit, the tour can be experienced at www.lazoo.org/betty-white.

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