the living desert zoo and gardens

Where the Wild Things Are

Celebrating a golden milestone, The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens brings Australia to the Coachella Valley, contends with a (human) pandemic, and prepares for its biggest inhabitants yet.

Derrik J. Lang Attractions, Current PSL

It started on the back of an envelope. In 1970, when Karen Sausman was hired as the first director of The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens — known at that point as The Living Desert Reserve — the plucky naturalist and educator mapped out an ambitious plan for a sprawling campus in the heart of the Coachella Valley showcasing flora