SF Rec and Park Commissioner Doing Damage Control

Another day our San Francisco Zoo is in the news.  

This one thankfully touches on THE most important factor in our Zoo being in the desperate state it is.  That being, the neglect of duties of all managing entities as outlined in the Lease Agreement.  More from me to come, as I will again provide proof to back my statement up.  

San Francisco Chronicle - Saturday April 20, 2024 

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/san-francisco-zoo-investigation-19410379.php

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/san-francisco-zoo-investigation-19410379.php

Chronicle’s S.F. Zoo investigation sparks concern, surprise among city officials

By Tara Duggan, Megan Fan Munce

April 20, 2024

Giraffes are seen at the San Francisco Zoo, where findings of a Chronicle investigation sparked concern among city officials.

Giraffes are seen at the San Francisco Zoo, where findings of a Chronicle investigation sparked concern among city officials.

Members of a San Francisco Zoo advisory committee expressed surprise and concern at issues of worker safety and animal welfare raised in a Chronicle investigation.

In an email to the Chronicle, Larry Mazzola, chair of the city’s Joint Zoo Committee, called for a full investigation into the accusations. 

The Chronicle report, published Wednesday, outlined complaints raised by 20 current and former employees and detailed troubling recent incidents, including a harrowing chase of a zookeeper by a grizzly bear and the death of a young penguin that was, according to keeper logs, struck by a “guillotine” door. Employees said the zoo’s upper management did not listen to their concerns. 

The Joint Zoo Committee discussed the Chronicle’s findings Thursday during its monthly meeting. The advisory group is made up of zoo representatives and members of the Recreation and Park Commission, the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare, and the San Francisco Zoological Society board, which runs the zoo. 

Later that day, the 95-year-old institution was in the spotlight again when Mayor London Breed announced that China would lend giant pandas to the zoo for the first time in decades, likely by next year. 

Mazzola said he was surprised to learn about most of the issues in the Chronicle’s report. He said he would invite Tanya Peterson, CEO and executive director of the zoo, and Melinda Dunn, the Zoological Society’s new board chair, to attend the committee’s June meeting to answer questions about the article’s findings. 

In particular, Mazzola, a business manager with United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 38, said he was concerned about allegations regarding worker safety and training.

“I want to make sure that the workers are being heard,” Mazzola said in the meeting. “Worker safety and the way that workers are being treated are the No. 1 priority, along with keeping the animals safe. That’s what this is all about.”

“There were some pretty serious allegations in the article,” said Jane Tobin, secretary of the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare. She added, “I’m not sure about the path forward.” 

On Friday, the zoo posted a statement on social media saying that the Chronicle’s report “misrepresented information and included many inaccurate facts.” The Chronicle asked the zoo to specify what facts it found to be inaccurate. 

In an ensuing email, board chair Dunn said “the evidence at the time (of the penguin’s death) was inconclusive as to the cause of death.” 

The Chronicle obtained the agenda from the July 20, 2023, Joint Zoo Committee meeting. On the report to the committee listing the five animals that died in the previous month, “head trauma” is noted next to the deceased penguin. 

Much of the rest of the email details items that were mentioned in the Chronicle report, including the fact that the zoo regularly passes inspections. Said Dunn: “We also have numerous safety protocols to ensure the safety of our staff, as well as safety and welfare committees responsible for reviewing staff concerns, evaluating the situation and resolving any issues. We are proud of the San Francisco Zoo and our teams.”

While San Francisco owns the zoo and its animals, the Zoological Society is responsible for managing day-to-day operations, passing needed inspections, doing maintenance and making capital improvements, according to its lease. The Joint Zoo Committee is informed of animal deaths, gives approval to animal acquisitions and approves the nonprofit’s operating budget and capital improvements above $50,000.

“We have to ask more questions. We have to have answers if the public asks us, or whoever,” Mazzola said in the meeting.

Corey Hallman, a representative of the zoo’s labor union, said that the union would meet with the Zoological Society board soon to talk about issues raised in the Chronicle’s report, many of which the union has raised previously.

Tobin suggested looking into what other zoos consider best practice. She specifically pointed to the Oakland Zoo’s policy of bringing in new animals only when their habitat is complete. Former employees at the San Francisco Zoo said that a pair of orangutans were brought in to live in an exhibit for two years before it was renovated. 

In a phone interview, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, whose district includes the zoo, would not comment on the Chronicle’s findings, but said she welcomed the news about pandas coming to the zoo. 

“I definitely see the benefits for the zoo and for the city.” Melgar said. “I hope that the zoo puts its best foot forward.”

Reach Tara Duggan: 

tduggan@sfchronicle.com

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