SEA CHANGE COMING L.A. ZOO GETTING MUCH-NEEDED MAKEOVER.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

They've got a freshwater swimming pool, a ``Gilligan's Island'' beach and a flurry of their favorite fish.

But what sea lions lack at their Los Angeles Zoo lagoon is a bath of ocean salt. Each day, to salve their eyes, they undergo a special saltwater dip.

``Good booyyy!'' said zoo keeper Stephanie Zielinski, as Rocky, the zoo's 515-pound bull sea lion, dunks his whiskery snout into a brackish bucket - and blinks - before being tossed some choice sardines. ``Nice job.''

The zoo's outdated sea-lion exhibit, as well as its aging elephant and gorilla exhibits, will soon be relics of the past.

On Wednesday, city leaders officially will break ground on a $26 million zoo entrance renovation that will provide Rocky and his aquatic pride with a new saltwater Sea Lion Cliffs habitat.

Upon its completion in the summer of 2004, the nine-acre entrance will be transformed by a lush promenade, a $12 million Children's Discovery Center and the piercing honks of sea lions and seals.

In April, construction will also begin on a $12 million Pachyderm Forest, a new home for elephants and hippos, and a $7 million Campo Gorilla Reserve, a ``natural'' home for gorillas. The makeover at the zoo in Griffith Park will be followed by a $25 million Rain Forest of the Americas and Reptile & Insect Center.

For zoo officials elated over a sterling accreditation and a new designation as a city botanical garden, the $80 million upgrade will usher in a spectacular dawn for a new generation of visitors.

``This is a very exciting time,'' said interim Zoo Director Ed Maruska. ``The zoo is embarking on a multiyear construction plan that will transform this facility into a top-notch, world-class zoo - and why shouldn't it be, for Los Angeles deserves it.

``By 2004, we'll practically have a brand-new zoo.''

The zoo makeover is made possible by Propositions K and CC bonds passed by voters in 1996 and by donations by the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

The new zoo entrance will replace the zoo's 36-year-old pedestrian ramp with a courtyard of date palms backed by an airy marquee.

On the right will be the Children's Discovery Center, a complex of five interactive animal learning ``zones'' and an auditorium for the 300,000 schoolchildren each year, and a home for zoo volunteers.

On the left will be the Sea Lion Cliffs exhibit, a rocky shore-like habitat to accommodate the zoo's five California sea lions and two harbor seal companions. The Cliffs will provide larger pools, a natural slide and waterfall, an underwater viewing area.

And real saltwater to help with their skin and eyes.

For critics of the zoo's stark, concrete exhibits left over from the 1960s, the move into naturalistic digs can't come too soon.

``The sea lion exhibit is wretched beyond belief,'' said Gretchen Wyler, a member of the zoo's Animal Welfare Committee and founder of Ark Trust, which hosts a star-studded Genesis Awards gala for animal welfare.

``The new entrance will be wonderful,'' she said. ``We're not going to be a world-class zoo until we can be proud of where they (the animals) live.''

Rocky, a 22-year-old refugee of Marineland; his mate, Bea; and their 12-year-old daughter, Mona, are oblivious to such debate.

Each afternoon, the sleek marine mammals churn the waters of their pool for a training session with Zielinski and Senior Animal Keeper Erin Fleming. A nose-to-pole launch. A flipper salute. A spirited batch of tricks that also help trainers perform routine veterinary tasks.

``Belly,'' said his keeper, and Rocky lies on his back, his flipper held high for a belly rub - a three-smelt trick.

``Give us your tongue,'' she said. He sticks it through a pursed muff - good for his favorite mackerel.

``Cool,'' said David Berdeja, 11, of Bell, his jaw ajar. ``I've never seen them do tricks.''

``This has got to be the best job in the place,'' added Grace Kami, 37, of Valencia, whose daughter, Tracey, mimicked a sharp sea lion bark.

For zoo keepers, moving the animals from their 93,000-gallon pool into an exhibit reminiscent of their Channel Islands home will not only mean healthier animals, but double the training room for sea lion high jinks.

``This is what we have been working for,'' Zielinski said. ``It will tremendously help with their overall health and well-being. These guys are saltwater animals, and they need a saltwater environment.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 maps

Photo:

(1 -- color) L.A. Zoo animal keeper Stephanie Zielinski gets Rocky the sea lion to stick out his tongue during a training session.

(2 -- color) Animal keeper Stephanie Zielinski, left, and senior animal keeper Erin Fleming work with sea lions at the L.A. Zoo. The exhibit will be moved when the new saltwater Sea Lion Cliffs habitat is completed in the summer of 2004. The new nine-acre exhibit is part of a $26 million zoo entrance renovation funded by Propositions K and CC bonds and donations by the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

Map:

(1) LOS ANGELES COUNTY ZOO'S NEW ENTRANCE

(2) Los Angeles Zoo

SOURCE: Los Angeles Zoo

Warren Huskey/Staff Artist