The animals at the Los Angeles Zoo are ready for visitors finally coming back.

The grounds have been shut since December as Southern California underwent one of the United States strictest lockdowns.

But families were back and full force on Tuesday, with young Children eager to say hi to the more than 2000 creatures that live there.

Zero director Beth Schaefer says the animals missed their visitors to.

I think some of it We didn't even realize how much of a part of a day that it was for them, because there's animals that we thought didn't really interact with us or the public when they were out in their habitats and when there was no people, we would walk by and they'd be like, Hey, what are you doing?

They come over to the fence and want to interact, and it's not just Los Angeles locals enjoying the animals company 31 year old Trickle You Goodwin came all the way down from San Francisco.

We came down because I want to take my toddler to the zoo just to get out, and it was reopened We don't know how long it's gonna be.

Great open.

But even as visitors return to Rome, the zoo, they can expect to wear a mask and find clever signs reminding everyone to stay three flamingos apart.