News Article for Sunday March 31, 2013 - SF Examiner Article = Glorified Press Release

I meant for this to be more timely, but with the article the following day and the loss of our precious Zoo Friend Milky Way the next. 

I have been enjoying our Cubbie and even though I am irritated on a daily basis about things that go on at the Zoo, so I just didn't feel like writing about the "issues" I have.  But, it is now two weeks later and I need to do so to keep things moving forward on the blog.

On Easter I was having quite a pleasant day and then this new article came through on Google News Alert.  Seeing a photo of the Director was enough for me to put it aside and read it later.  

The article is titled "SF Zoo Showing Signs of Bright Future Years After Setbacks".   ... You can read it in full at the link below.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2013/03/san-francisco-zoo-showing-signs-bright-future-years-after-devastating-setbacks

Blah, Blah, Blah.  This article is ridiculous.  I'm tired of hearing Director Peterson pat herself on the back. Time, has healed the Zoo in many ways, not her guidance. In fact there are many among Staff who think she has no management skills. As someone who is in the know with what goes on at the Zoo, I completely agree. There are alot of untruths, curiosities, and frankly BS that come out of the Zoo at her direction.   

Where are the days of actual reporting?  Is there no investigative reporters anymore?  I wish News Reporters would do some actual reporting, which would include research and asking questions, instead of relaying what is basically a one-sided opinion that equals a Press Release.

Learning about the issues at the Zoo are not hard to find for anyone who cares enough about the place to find them.   Any reporter could with one Google search find my blogs and pick any one of the issues I bring up and use them as a more interesting angle.  This actually happened once and at least it showed some skill and thought about the subject.  

For one, the lead about the Pachyderm Building: 

>>>On a recent Saturday at the San Francisco Zoo, families ambled through the art deco entryway of the Pachyderm Building. But they were not heading in to see the zoo’s rhinos or hippos. In fact, there were no animals at all behind the red doors.

Instead, the building housed a temporary exhibit about dinosaurs — one of director Tanya Peterson’s first efforts to create an exhibit not directly involving wildlife. It signaled more plans for the zoo’s future, which Peterson wants to take from “good” to “great.” <<<

"Not directly involving wildlife" ???  If anyone had any sense, Director and Writer included, the question should be asked, how has the renovation of the Pachyderm Building affected the "wildlife" that lives there?  Asian One Horned Rhino Gauhati's character has visibly changed since this renovation took place.    Rhino's have sensitive hearing and the amount of noise that comes out of the area that houses these rotating installations, is awful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVwcrH7Xk20  (filmed with only six kids in there)

Gauhati lives on the other side of those walls.  The acoustics are horrible and even when he's outside I'm sure he can hear whats going on in what he only knows to be his home.  If the Zoo's "Wellness" for their Animals was priority, renovating the Pachyderm building would have been for the "Wellness" of Gauhati.  But things are continuously done without being empathetic to the Animals.  There are ways to showcase these other ideas (previous was a Movie and Bat Gallery), without them interfering with an Animals home space.  The Zoo (Management) is just too lazy and uncreative to think of them.

Bottom line, there's a question that goes with her statement.   There are alot of questions.  Why is there no articles asking these questions?   I'm asking them.  Other Visitors who care are asking them.   Yet every time an article about general Zoo update (not Animal Birth or Sports related Naming) comes out, its the same old fluff?   There's the "pat" on Peterson's back, there's the stale Tiger event, its the same old.   I challenge someone with a byline to write something meaty about the Zoo.  You don't even have to go further than my blogs for research.

Another classic quote -  

>>“Zoos are the last haven for a lot of endangered species. So if you care about global conservation, you’ve got safe harbors in these zoos.”<<

"Safe Harbors"?  This would be comical if it weren't so sad.  There is Human trash there everyday tormenting the Animals. Yet the Zoo under Director Peterson lets this happen by ignoring these incidents. People are constantly over the barriers, yelling at the animals, throwing stuff into enclosures.  Does she address how she's going to fix these problems? NO!  Instead she spews her dreams of grandeur while waiting for another tragedy to happen.

I want to read an article and have these questions asked and answered.

*What's being done to deter Visitors from breach barriers at the Animal Enclosures?   With so many instance of such, why isn't there more Security on the grounds? 

  

*Why is the Zoo's Mission to Educate, yet there is no Education on how to behave in the Zoo = A place Animals live?

*Why are choices to spend money on such rotating installations a priority over upgrading Animals enclosures? 

This article mentions how old the exhibits are, well 

*Why hasn't anything been done about them?

Allegedly there was money in place years ago for both a new home for the Chimps and for the Bears.  Who knows where those funds went, but that's a gone-by as the future of the Zoo seems to be building new areas to bring in new animals and screw the ones that have lived there 30/40 years.

*Why do we have a new Playground under construction, yet the Animals rarely get play things and live in homes that scream for upgrade attention?

The Oakland Zoo built a new state of the art Animal Hospital.  The San Francisco Zoo is building a Playground.

You tell me which facility has Animal Wellness as a priority?   The one that doesn't keep shoving it verbally down the public's throat, but shows it in actions.

I am hurt everyday by the decisions that are made at the Zoo that don't have the Animals who live there's best interests as priority.    I'm tired of everything they say these days is Wellness this, and Wellness that.  In my opinion its all patting themselves on their backs and blowing smoke up ours.   FYI Wellness is a given and one that hasn't been proved in so many ways.  Ask Wishbone.   

Another quote:

>>> "Peterson may not seem like an obvious choice to run a zoo since she has little training with animals. She said her respect for animals comes from her mother’s side of the family, all of whom were ranchers. Her animal-caring skills were the basic 4-H and cat-and-dog rescue type." <<<

She is not the obvious choice.  The obvious choice would be someone who actually cares about the Zoo and the Animals that live there.   I could name a handful of people who could run the Zoo better, myself included.  I know some will laugh at that, but at least I have the passion and obviously the brains since alot of what I write about seems to make its way into the Zoo.  Being able to raise funds (mostly not even for the right things) does not make someone a good Manager, which is what the Director position is about.  BUT it seems that becoming Zoo Director is about who you know and not how much you care.  Which also goes for other Management Staffers.

Director Tanya Peterson is a fundraiser with social and economic status.  Those who support her doing anything more than fundraising, specifically being the Director, apparently are of the same.  They are those that don't care, or those who fear her.  It is allegedly common knowledge that the layoffs she refers to are people who have worked there for many years.  People who probably had ideas or know more about the Zoo than she does so she's demoted them or gotten rid of them.  There's a lot of house cleaning to do there and sadly no one with authority over the Director wants to sift thru the issues and do it.

She says "Respect"?   This is a woman who (among other things) allowed Wishbone the Andean Bear to continue to live on a concrete surface (as he had done for 20+ years of his life) when it was known that he had bone and joint issues.  He continually fell because of the pain from these issues, eventually having to be put down after becoming paralyzed from the literal pounding to death his bones took daily on concrete.  An Animal who was completely there mentally, yet lose use of his legs due to the "habitat" he was forced to live in.  He would still be alive today if all these so called caring people in authority at the Zoo gave him a soft surface to live on.

http://projectgetwishbonegrass.blogspot.com/

UG,  I could go on and on, but I can't re-read anymore of this to even make many more comments.  The whole thing makes me sick.   I'm not the only one who feels this way.   I'm just one of the only ones who actually says what I think.   

So many of us who care about the Zoo, long-time Visitors and those I've talked to on the Animal Staff, want the Zoo to be all it can be for the Animals.  We know that in doing that, the Zoo becomes all it can be for the Visitors as well.  Those of us on the outside would love to be in the inside, working to make the Zoo all that it can be.  Those who are on the inside want to make what they have better.    Building new areas and other costly things before "taking care at home"  is not better.  Its ignoring instead of fixing.  

I also believe that there are alot of people who buy this fluff that the Zoo and Media is selling.  Not only the Public, but the San Francisco Zoological Society and its Board Members, Donors and the San Francisco Recreation and Park.  No one questions anything.   Why?   Apparently its as simple as they just don't care.  Because if they did they would see.   Its because of those people that the Zoo will remain mediocre, never reaching its potential AND most important, the Animals who live there will never be the priority.

To those people I say, at the rate its going the Zoo will be one of a few things in the future.  Non-existent because it never reached its potential.  Non-existent because they couldn't recover from another tragedy.  OR  because they continue to waddle in mediocrity it will remain just the same, a place people come and don't really care about, because they were never taught to.   

This article ends with a quote from the Zoo's leader

>>“This is firstly a preserve and a park, a beautiful park,” she said. “And it is a unique way in an urban environment to connect with wildlife.”<<

Well all I can say is, this is how I see the Urban's Connecting with Wildlife.  Good Luck with THAT!

I will also add these links to a posts I made in regards to the caring words the Director puts forth about the Animals who live at the Zoo.

http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2013/03/more-words-from-cough-heart-from-san.html

http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2012/05/tuesday-may-1-2012-today-in-email.html

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As with all posts,

please expand comments

for additional insight and information.

Check back as I reply to all comments.

Contact the San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson

if you want your voice heard.

tanyap@sfzoo.org

Thank You for taking the time to read

about things that matter to me.

Yet Another Lame Written News Article (KTVU) - Tiger Attack 2007

News article via Google News Alert for San Francisco Zoo.

 

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/sf-zoo-makes-crucial-safety-upgrades-5-years-after/nTff9/

 

I'm alittle tardy on posting this, but I wrote the majority of this post immeadiately after reading this article, which was the day after Christmas.  I wil also note that while most of my posts I try to write with some organization to how I present my thoughts and observations, I batted this one out from all that swirled in my mind at the time.  I no longer have time to edit and organize as much as I might like, but my point will always be made.

 

I apologize posting yet another article on the subject of the Christmas Day 2007 tragedy.  I would like not to dredge it up, but it seems like both the News Media and the San Francisco Zoo like to repeat broken details around this event for the sake of grabbing attention.  I say broken details because each time I read something about this event I get really worked up.  Getting worked up about things involving the Zoo is common for me since I care about the Animals and I despise bullshit.   It happened in the immeadiate aftermath, as I read every article I could printed about what happen, both crying for the soul of Tatiana and because she died for no reason.  It happened as I followed the case.  Reading nonsense from the general public blaming the Zoo for not containing her properly, when it was obvious a high energy provoking was the catalyst.  It happened when the Rec and Park allegedly forced the Director Manuel Molinendo to resign, shining the blame on him, therefore using him as the scapegoat to appease public naysayers.  It happen as I heard the Zoo accept reponcibility for something that was obviously not their fault.  And by accepting this responcibility, buckling to the Jones of society under the guise of being on the side of Humans regardless of their actions.  They let the boys responcible for this tragedy get a payout, money that was probably used to pay lawyers for their subsequent crime sprees.  It happens everytime one of these articles appears, written by journalists who apparently grab from previous information rather than doing a bit of investigating, instead of seeking actual new information as well as logical.  Good grief I write better (read more accurate) copy that those employed by News Media and the Zoo itself.   As well, Journalists, Reporters, the Recreation and Park Commission, and even the Members of the San Francisco Zoological Society, do not even care to educate themselves on what really goes on at the Zoo.  By simply doing an Internet search, they would come across a bounty of information within my blogs only.  Sadly for everyone, the Animals foremost, none of the so called News Media or Authority figures at the Zoo care enough to take any hard stance and see that changes for the better are done.   

 

This article's headline states the Zoo has made "crucial changes".  By upgrading the enclosure at the Big Cats, that is considered a crucial upgrade?  This really upsets me.  For one, the above referenced "nonsense" I read, a majority kept and still does reference the height of the wall at the Tiger enclosure.   Just like in this article.  The height I will note was a height that was accredited by the AZA.  A height that had a "reccommed" measurement, not a "required" measurement.  A use of terms I have ever seen accuratly discussed in any News Article or in Public Comment. 

The Big Cat enclosure upgrade noted was the only enclosure alteration in relation to the Tiger Event.  Only a few other upgrades were made afterward.  Prior to the Christmas event, there were alerations made within the Lion House. The feeding access caging was altered and the Visitor barrier moved back.  The "after" upgrade came just over two weeks later, when an alleged near escape of a Snow Leopard and a Polar Bear, shined more light on Zoo safety and prompted two of the Polar enclosures to gain added fencing.  From what I was told, both incidents were not as projected in the Media.
 

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Zoo-safety-questioned-again-after-leopard-polar-3232717.php
 

 As well if the Polar incident was indeed as detailed and an actual fear of escape was real, why was there never a fenced barrier of the like installed at the meadow grotto which both Polars share (located between the two enclosures) that did get the added barrier? 

The Zoo may have made little changes here and there in the past couple years (some coincidentially on the heels of stuff I've blogged about) but in no way have they made any major changes to deter misbehavior.  Up until about two years ago, their Emergency protocol was still a mess. That protocol was in part to blame for why Tatiana lost her life. 

In the past five years there have been two newsworthy instances involving the Grizzly Bears and the Black Rhinos.  On a daily basis, Visitors can be seen harrassing the Animals and/or breaching barriers.  I have seen this.  My friends have seen this.  Other Visitors have told me they've seen this.  I write about it and I know members of the Zoo Staff read my blogs.  Part of why they can't blame ignorance to these issues is why I post about it.  Read thru the archives from the past couple months, there are several posts about enclosure intrusion. 

So, that all said the Zoo has made little effort to deter this behavior, both in t he way of enclosure upgrades or with additional Security.  Once I became a more regular Visitor, I tried to provide this insight to the Director on many occasions.  That flow of information stopped when Director Peterson made the descision to use my friend Lee and I as scapegoats to cover-up the Zoo's faulty Security (take and) Dispatch of Emergency Calls.  She blamed us for calling in a prank call reporting someone over the barrier at Bears and then revoked our Memberships for almost a year.  Curiously this action coincided with the Zoo's upcoming AZA accreditation for Security practices. 
 
There continues to not be enough eyes and ears on the grounds who are sensitive to spotting misbehavior to curb these offences.  Yesterday (Thursday Dec. 27) was the first day after Christmas that it didn't rain.  The sun was out and the Zoo was packed.  There were two Security Guards working for the first half of the day.  I saw one in the Lion House and none monitoring the grounds. 

While at the Family Farm I saw a grown woman giving one of the Goats a lolipop and laughing.  If I hadn't said something, this could have gone very wrong and that Animal could have lost its life because of a stupid Human.  Maybe not as violent a death as Tatiana, but the end result the same, and the cause the same. 

This type of incident is not isolated.  I have found Silica pouches in two areas within the Zoo, near Animal enclosures.  I have heard that both the female Snow Leopard and one of the Sea Lions both ingested foreign objects that may or may not have been tossed into their enclosures by Visitors. 

These instances noted, sadly the Zoo chooses to spend money to build a new Playground for Humans instead of raising funds to make sure the Animals who live there are safe (not to mention living on natural surfaces RIP Wishbone). 

As well, THIS type of information I have put forth, is the kind of copy that should be taken on by real reporters.  They should be writing stories that ask the AZA (Association of Zoo's and Aquariums),  why Zoo's are allowed to continually build new exhibits before upgrading old ones, whether for safety or habitat issues, providing Animals with both a safe environment and a healthy one.  As well the same of the San Francisco Recreation and Park, and the San Francisco Zoological Soceity, in regards to our Zoo.

I will close with a couple other out of order comments.

I don't know how much the Zoo PR has to do with articles like this, but I do know they have in the past provided information to grab attention.  One specifically that I found in bad taste was their announcement of the arrival of the new female Siberian, Shastyuh.  As I wrote in my post, the Zoo picks and chooses which Animals to "promote", based on how much Media attention it can garner.  Because of the attention Tatiana got, Shastyuh should have been allowed to settle into the Zoo without hoopla AND without stupid comments from "Zoo officials,... the staff was ready and the grounds secured."  Sensationalized and Ridiculous.  

http://sanfranciscozoofails.blogspot.com/2011/06/zoo-officials-fumble-again.html

Oh and once again, the statue in Entry Village is not of Tatiana.  That is a Mountain Lion and was there before the Tiger Attack.  As part of the small group who donated to Tatiana's Memorial Bench, I was told that the Zoo had not planned to have a Memorial for her for some politically correct reason that to me was an act of cowardice.
 

News Article - Looking Back at Tiger Event Christmas 2007

I woke up this morning to this article via a Google News Alert email.

 

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=8931297&status=ok

 

I commented on the ABC site:  (Note that my comment was split into parts and ABC deleted all but the first part.  So I requested them delete the full post, since I find censoring public News forums in violation of the Constitution.)

 

As someone who is a frequent Zoo Visitor I remember this day well.  I was there.  Unfortunately not at the right time, as maybe I'd have seen the Dahliwals taunting the Animals and I would have said something that might have made them stop before this tragedy they allegedly caused.  I went a if route that day and was there earlier, possibly capturing the last photo of Tatiana at 2:48pm.  Happy and lounging in the sun with her companion Tony.  .. Yes the Zoo made changes to the Big Cat Grottos, but there is no such sign to not taunt the Tigers.  As well there are many other exhibits that leave the Animals vulnerable to Visitor harassment and stupidity, the later which could result in an event much like the one last month at the Pittsburgh Zoo.  In my opinion, the SFZoo and Zoo's in general have not made any changes in the past five years that keep up with the mounting acts of misbehavior of Visitors. 

 

Additionally, I will say in referenece to what is reported in this article, there are no specific signs that say not to taunt the Tigers.  In fact I recently witnessed a kid about to throw objects at one of the Tigers.  There are generic signs that request Visitors "Respect the Animals".   Althought these signs have become more plentiful, they are still not enough both in quantity and in words.  Visitor misbehavior is rampant, both in harassing the Animals and breaching barriers. 

 

As well, to my knowledge the only tribute to Tatiana at the Zoo is a bench that sits in front of the grotto she shared with her companion Tony.  The bench was purchased by a small group of her friends who were heartbroken that she lost her life defending her home and companion, because of alleged, yet apparent Visitor misbehavior.   That said, neither of the bronze statues at the entrance, are not of Tatiana, they are not even of Tigers.   I'd like to know where this rumor got started, as I've heard this before.  Writers these days do not seem to do any investigative reporting.

 

There's more I could say but won't.  Its Christmas and I'm sure there are innocent people who were affected by the acts of these three boys. 

 

 

RIP Tatiana

 

December 25, 2007  2:48pm

 

Two hours later Tatiana was dead.   Remember when visiting any Zoo, Act with Empathy.  Do not harrass, heckle, throw stuff at, mimic, or otherwise taunt that Beings that live there in captivity so that we can enjoy their beauty and learn about them.  As well, please report any misbehavior you witness and if you are able to, tell people yourself not to behave in such a way.  You might save a life.  There was reportedly a woman who saw the Dahliwals harrassing the Lions prior to the Tigers.   Tatiana might still be alive if she had reported this.

September 13, 2012 - News Article for Today

As you can see by the date of my last post, I haven't made a new post here in almost a month.  I apologize to anyone who follows my blog and looks to it for updates on our wonderful Zoo Friends, as well as to keep aware of what's going on at the Zoo, that you won't get from any official Press Release.  

Two and a half weeks ago I lost my precious friend Goober, who this blog is named in reference to (as well my previous blog carries his name).  Since his passing I have not even been able to do his RIP post.  As well in the wake of this heartbreaking loss, my mind has almost stopped reeling about all things Zoo (I will make another post on that at a later time).   That said, my need to post as an outlet has been zero.   

The reason for this post, like one I made the other day on my blog  sanfranciscozoofails.blogspot.com

is there is relevance.  That post was in reference to an article that quoted my words within the article.  This article is another spin on a previous article posted on this blog.

My question is When will the patting of the backs end and the fixing of our Zoo start?

San Francisco Zoo retains psychologist to improve animal wellness

By: Dan Schreiber | 09/12/12 7:50 PM

SF Examiner Staff Writer

S.F. EXAMINER FILE PHOTO

Housing crisis: The San Francisco Zoo’s 1930s-era enclosures pose some challenges for officials and animals alike.

Few local tragedies resonated so widely as the deadly tiger mauling at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day 2007. But that horrific incident appears to have sparked a new push for updated infrastructure and other methods to increase “psychological wellness” among The City’s captive creatures.

The zoo has recently solicited the help of trained psychologist and former Atlanta Zoo director Terry Maple — a real-life Dr. Doolittle of sorts — although he isn’t so sure that’s the nickname he wants.

“I would like to be Dr. Do-A-Lot,” Maple said.

Given the zoo’s variety of animals — many living in 1930s-era enclosures — Maple has his work cut out for him. He said the zoo has started on the right track with at least one simple principle.

“Animals are really better off if they work for their food,” Maple said. “If you just throw it to them, you’re creating a dependent couch potato.”

Tigers should have their meat hidden so they can track it down, and polar bears could find their meals frozen in a block of ice, for example. Grizzly bears currently get a daily fish feeding in which they have to snatch their prey out of the water, something Maple said is “what every bear exhibit should look like.” One of the zoo’s anteaters is showing irregularity because he wants to dig, so more dirt might be in order for his habitat, Maple said.

Animal whispering also is not something to be scoffed at, Maple believes.

“That’s not a crazy idea,” Maple said. “I’ll bet most of the keepers have a certain ability to communicate with the animals they take care of.”

Maple plans to join other zoo officials tonight at The City’s Commission of Animal Control and Welfare to discuss a variety of new ideas for the zoo. Commissioner Sally Stephens said the tiger attack, although terrible, spurred a new tone of cooperation between animal advocates and the zoo.

“Having the zoo administration behind these ideas is 75 percent of the way there,” Stephens said. “If people could be more convinced that the animals are as happy as they can be in their circumstances at the zoo, they’d be more willing to contribute money.”

Still, animal-rights activist groups like PETA remain staunchly opposed to the very idea of zoos and attribute animal unhappiness to their captive state.

“What we see at zoos is animal well-being sacrificed just so they can breed more animals to exhibit,” said Ashley Byrne, PETA’s manager of campaigns.

Even so, Byrne acknowledged that her group works with the Detroit Zoo’s “welfare center” on behalf of animals. “Zoos really are animal prisons,” Byrne said, “but to be practical, there are so many animals living in zoos that it’s important to understand more about their psychology and the impact of their captivity.”

Stephens said while zoos could always use improvement, they do serve an important purpose.

“You look into the eyes of a gorilla, and it’s kind of a profound feeling that comes over you. You don’t get that stuff when you just watch on Animal Planet,” Stephens said. “So these animals perform a service to their species to allow people to connect with them and really care about what happens to them in the wild.”

This article can be found at   http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2012/09/san-francisco-zoo-retains-psychologist-improve-animal-wellness#disqus_thread#ixzz26Ni3OsBv

I posted a comment which is "awaiting moderation", so who knows if it will see the light of day, so I will post it here.   ....   This is the second time a news forum has noted that it moderates comments.  To me, it is understandable on someone's personal blog or website, but on a news source site, freedom of speech should be in play.

My comment:

July Press painted this guy as a "Visionist"  (  http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2012/07/zoo-hires-exhibit-visionist-alittle-too.html ) , now he's an Animal Psychologist.  Interesting, since some on the Zoo Staff seem to make decisions regardless of empathy toward the Animals.   The Zoo continually fails to be all that it can be, as it is held back on many counts by those currently in charge.  There are wonderful Animals that live there, but in the minds of Management they are secondary to Visitors and future plans of grandeur.    Time will tell if this guy will change the minds of the current Zoo Administration OR join the ranks of their stagnant mentality.