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A report critical of safety conditions at San Francisco Zoo that was released in October was presented Thursday to the advisory committee that oversees the zoo, the Joint Zoo Committee.
But no mention was made of the report during a general presentation on the zoo by its director to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission, which met immediately after.
Instead, the report was brought up during the public comment period by animal rights activists who have been outspoken about conditions at the zoo since a no-confidence vote in the director by the zoo’s employee union earlier this year.
The Joint Zoo Committee is made up of three representatives from the city’s Recreation and Park Commission and three members from the board of the San Francisco Zoological Society, the nonprofit entity that manages the zoo.
The report from the committee’s animal welfare advisors and the city’s Animal Control and Welfare Commission provided a cursory glance at operations at the zoo in August. The report called parts of the zoo “dilapidated … uninspiring” and “unsafe for the animals and visitors.”
Deficiencies defined
Criticisms included inadequate habitat for some animals and some animals that had been kept for long periods of time in facilities meant to be temporary. The report was critical of undeveloped space amid aging infrastructure and stagnant funding from the city that has been frozen at $4 million per year since 1993.
A no-confidence vote for the zoo’s director, Tanya Peterson, was held in April by the Teamsters Local Union 856, which represents about 100 employees at the zoo. The union said over 93% of employees voted in support of the no-confidence motion, citing a list of complaints about morale under Peterson’s leadership tenure, which dates back to 2008.
“Zoo leadership, including the organization’s executive board, has repeatedly refused to acknowledge, let alone resolve, a multitude of concerns we have raised, which we believe grossly affects animal, worker, and public safety and enjoyment,” Teamsters 856 representative Corey Hallman said in a statement.
The report and employee complaints led the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to initiate an audit of the zoo, which was last done in 2000.
“I think it’s headed in a direction for us to make some changes that probably won’t make everybody happy but will get everybody at least satisfied that we’re doing right by the Zoo.”
Larry Mazzola Jr., Joint Zoo Committee member
Hallman said the union welcomed the move.
“We are grateful that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors have heard our concerns and are conducting a much-needed audit of the management of the San Francisco Zoo and are hopeful that this transparent and public process will address these alarming issues and bring necessary improvements to the Zoo,” he said.
Peterson’s presentation to the Recreation and Park Commission focused on a broad overview of habitat expansions and renovations that had been undertaken since 1993. She did not bring up the report or make any direct references to its criticisms. She likewise did not mention the union’s complaints.
‘We had some good dialogue’
But Larry Mazzola Jr., who is on both the Joint Zoo Committee and the Recreation and Park Commission, said the report’s presentation to the Zoo Committee had led to productive discussions.
“I think we got to a point today where we had some good dialogue and everybody that was involved was in the room,” Mazzola said during the Recreation and Park Commission meeting.
“I think it’s headed in a direction for us to make some changes that probably won’t make everybody happy but will get everybody at least satisfied that we’re doing right by the Zoo,” Mazzola said.
A trio of animal rights groups has called for reforms at the zoo. The groups, SF Zoo Watch, In Defense of Animals, and Panda Voices, have notably called on the city to cancel its plans to house pandas at the Zoo. They argue the city’s plan to rely on philanthropic donations to fund the exhibit is not sustainable.
Mazzola said the Commission would likely ask the city to increase the amount it earmarks for the zoo each year after the Board of Supervisors completes its audit.
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