My Op-Ed Submission To The Chronicle

As noted in my previous post, I wrote and submitted an op-ed to the Chronicle two weeks ago, that didn't get published. I thought it was a decent synopsis of why I care about the Zoo and what is currently going on.  That said, considering their agenda now seems to be a series of articles, maybe my words were too much information (op-eds are 800-900 words, letters 200 max),    Who knows.  Anyway, I was going to see if it flowed with any blog posts and possibly publish it here in the future. In light of the Chronicle publishing a Letter to the Editor today, I figure this is the best spot for it.

Start Op-Ed

I have been writing about issues at our San Francisco Zoo for thirteen years.  As a Richmond District Native and life-long Resident, the Zoo has been a part of my life for all my sixty years.  The more active chapter, coincided with the start of Zoo Director Tanya Peterson's reign there.  I have seen and heard too many issues regarding both Animal Welfare, the treatment of Zoo Staff, the lack of funds for Needs, the misuse of funds for Wants, and the list goes on.

My full embrace of the Zoo, started after the Christmas 2007 Tiger event.  I was there that day and have the last photo of our beloved Tatiana.  It still haunts me that I wasn't there when she and her mate Tony were being taunted, as I know with how vocal I am against those who terrorize non-human Beings with words and actions, for their own sick entertainment, I would have stopped them and that event would not have happened.  Starting with the birth of our Sumatran Tiger Triplets a few months after that, and a personal loss a few months later,  my passion for the Zoo Animals grew and I set on a course to learn everything about them as individuals.  I started my first blog, documenting everything I learned, in hopes others would be endeared to them and Our Zoo the way I was and a bit of the dark clouds that hovered, would start to clear.  The Zoo became my happy place and I my interest in it being the best it could be, became a passion.  I wanted to know as much about what goes on there and because of issues that I was noticing, about how the pyramid of power works.  

The San Francisco Zoological Society, under the Department of SF Recreation and Park, are supposed to be managing entities, yet they have both been negligent of their duties the whole sixteen years that I have been monitoring the Zoo, and that Peterson has been at the helm.  Director Peterson has been left unmonitored to mismanage our Zoo, in every way, from Animal Cruelty, poor enclosure designs, lack of fundraising, misuse of funds, and so much more.  Since 2008, our Zoo has slowly been dismantled and left in ruin.  In my opinion, it can't take much more.  It would take massive funds and ideally new management to bring it back from the brink.  It needs a savior but who will that be?  Not one person has cared enough to help.  I know this because I've tried to shine a light on things, by continuous documentation, and past correspondence to the Recreation and Park Department and Board Members.  In addition to my crusade and victory to save our senior Chimpanzees from Director Peterson kicking them out after near fifty years of the Zoo being their home, there have been other disturbing issues involving Peterson highlighted in the media.  Still not one person from the Zoological Society Board ever chose to involve themselves with learning about what really goes on at the Zoo, a place per the Lease Agreement, they are in charge on managing.  It's disgusting, frustrating and sad.  

Now, they are getting Giant Pandas and on rush order.  Completely irresponsible at this time.  Pandas would be great, if the Zoo wasn't in such a desperate state.  So many Needs there are continuously overlooked for Wants. The is a long list of Animal Welfare needs that have been vetoed by Director Peterson, filed under the excuse, No Money.  The most recent involved the acquisition of Orangutans.  The last shiny new toy Peterson had to have.  The "Pandas" of 2019.  The Orangutans were brought to SFZoo with no home designated for them.  They lived eight months in the "skytrail" caged tubes.  Near two years later, after a curious and ridiculous "upgrade", they were tossed into the ancient sixty year old Triple Grotto, former home to the Chimpanzees, which was deemed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, as not suitable for Chimpanzees, and denying any more be sent to the Zoo.  There in the old and sub-par grottos, the Orangutans will languish forever.  

Now, major fundraising by both Mayor London Breed and Director Tanya Peterson, are reported to begin, to fund not one, but two enclosures for the Pandas, to the tune of $4 million, for temporary, $20 million for permanent.  Completely outrageous and disrespectful to the Orangutans and other Animals that currently live at our Zoo.  There is obviously no way to stop the fast moving train bringing Pandas here, but there needs to be some attention to the Needs of our Zoo before they get here.  <*With the $25 million they plan to raise, they need to build the one permanent enclosure for the Pandas, and the money they would have spent on a temporary enclosure, should go to an appropriate enclosure for the Orangutans, who have gotten not one thing for them since their arrival here.>  It reportedly cost less than $2 million for the Chimpanzee Dayroom and Yard.  Let's see the same for the Orangutans.  

Mayor Breed and Director Peterson need to fix our San Francisco Zoo, before bringing Pandas here.  Anything else is a moral crime, against all the current Animal Residents, and a detriment to the future of our Zoo.

My Petition, "San Francisco Zoo Needs A Big Fix, Before Pandas".

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/934/767/628/

End Op-Ed 

*You will see I have bracketed, a small portion of the next to last paragraph of my submitted text.  Since that writing, I realized what the only logical Panda Plan should be, and it's not spending $20 million on a permanent enclosure.  Which I never thought was a good idea, but the Mayor and Director are going to get Pandas on the plane here, no matter what any of us think.  My idea, which I put forth in a post (linked at end),  has the Mayor committing to hosting Pandas only two years, in the temporary location, which does not need $4 million in upgrades!  Then evaluating the financial aspect (costs, draw, revenue), after the first year, then deciding if having them here permanently is the best plan.  Meanwhile using funds raised to completely rebuild the Triple Grotto area for Orangutans (netted enclosure, dayroom, new night quarters and enclosures for additional Primates at that site), before Pandas get here.  Anything different in my opinion is a irresponsible.

Related Post:

https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2024/05/pandas-heres-what-mayor-should-do.html

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https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-zoo-status.html

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