7.3.20 Update ... Redated this post to before Shutdown, to keep current situation at top.
This post will be pinned here, for the foreseeable future, using a date in the future as the posting date.
Scroll down archive list for most recent post. New Updates will be listed by date and highlighted.
I will continue to add to this until Triple Grotto is renovated to complete the Great Ape Passage Exhibit.
Moving immediately forward, the Big Question is, when will Triple Grotto be renovated, and or a Temporary Enclosure (as I suggested in my previous blog post) be ready for the Orangutans? With Seven Chimpanzees, they need both the Dayroom and the Yard. Are the Orangutans expected to live in the Skytrails indefinitely?
SFZoo Chimpanzee, Great Ape Passage, and Orangutan Timeline
This is a partial highlight of information in a previously posted Timeline from 1960s-2015, with additions from then to present. For more details on the Chimpanzees, please see original post:
1960s (mid to late) - Triple Grotto built.
4.24.67 - Tallulah Chimpanzee arrives at the SFZoo.
7.10.68 - Cobby Chimpanzee arrives at the SFZoo.
4.25.70 - Maggie Chimpanzee arrives at the SFZoo.
4.25.70 - Minnie Chimpanzee arrives at the SFZoo.
Between 1976- 1981 Minnie gave birth to four babies with Cobby.
1980s (mid) - Triple Grotto upgrade Landscaping and Structures built ... update > No further upgrades made since.
1997 - San Francisco Residents Vote and pass a Bond for improvements to the Zoo. The Great Ape Forest, a new home for the Chimpanzees and Orangutans.
Using the Chimps and the Orangutans on Posters urging City Residents to vote in favor of $ for the Zoo to make much needed upgrades, a City Bond of $48 Million was awarded to the San Francisco Zoo. The bond was for specific projects, the building of a new home for the Chimpanzees and Orangutans, was one of them. That never happened. Money was misappropriated and never replaced. Last Orangutan was moved to another Zoo and the Chimpanzees remain in the same enclosure with no upgrades in Thirty Years. ... Not one Director during the past Eighteen years has made an attempt to Show the Chimps Some Love.
2003- Last Orangutan, Lipz, moved to Milwaukee Zoo (now a Mom, living at Birmingham Zoo).
2005 - Bond Update showed the Great Ape Forest (Chimpanzee and Orangutan exhibit improvements) had been cancelled.
2008 - News article notates, that over 10 yrs after the Bond was awarded, there were still questions about How the money was spent and Why the Chimps were still living in the "ancient" Triple Grotto.
* Zoo Management already allegedly aware for many years that our Senior group of Four Chimpanzees, should expand, allowing the addition of younger Chimps to create a "Family" group agewise, that would sustain as time goes on, the Zoo still does nothing to prepare for a loss.
January 2013 - Tallulah Chimpanzee passes at age 54.
2013-2015 - The SFZoo is very well aware of the AZA Guidelines in regard to Groups being Four or more. Zoo Management does nothing to ensure that Tallulah's Family, Cobby, Minnie and Maggie are guaranteed a lifelong home at the SFZoo, the place they have called home for 45+ years (as of 2015).
January 2015 - Zoo Animal Advocate and Blogger Kim (me) hears that Zoo Director Tanya Peterson has plans in place to Remove the Zoo's Senior Chimps from the home they have known for the past 45+ Years. "HELL NO!" I said, and launched an online Crusade through my Zoo blog to Save them. A dedicated blog, Petition and Facebook Group followed, along with a letter writing campaign.
2.20.15 - KGO-TV starts airing SFZoo Controversy teaser Commercial after the Oscars. ... I was lucky to make contact with the KGO-TV I-Team and have Reporter Dan Noyes take an interest in the Chimps Story. Over the week prior, I provided all the information to date, as well was interviewed.
2.22.15 - Letter Writing Campaign responses received! It seemed all wrote letters received a form of the same curious statement provided by Zoo Director Peterson, basically denying that the Chimps were set to move.
2.24.15 - Director Peterson writes frantic email to Staff, in an effort to damage control her untruths in the situation and place blame on me, grasping to discredit the information I provided to the Media (KGO-TV).
2.24.15 KGO-TV News Story airs. The issue is covered completely by the I-Team investigation. In addition to myself, I suggested several other interviewees, including, John Alcaraz, the Chimps first Keeper, Steve Ross, the head of the Chimpanzee SSP, and the Director of Lion Country Safari, the facility I heard they were being shipped to. In addition to an awkward Zoo Staffer interview, the I-Team additionally confirmed the plan was indeed in place with information provided by the Oakland Zoo. There is no way Director Tanya Peterson can deny Moving The Chimps was Her Plan.
2.26.15 - Just hours before the Monthly Joint Zoo Committee Meeting, Director Peterson Announces to Members via email that Chimps are staying! ... The News investigation, Exposing Director Peterson's Covert Mission to Kick Out the Chimps, obviously forced her to bow to Public Outcry! We did it! We Saved The Chimps!
2.26.15 - Zoo Director Peterson Announces at the Joint Zoo Committee Meeting that Chimps are staying and Zoo will be moving forward with upgrading the current enclosure, to include additions of Sky Trails, while launching the "largest Fundraising Campaign to date", to raise 10 Million for a new enclosure, the Great Ape Forest. ... Note 9.15.19: I have since come to find out this $10 Million enclosure was an alleged plan mocked-up over a decade ago. It was never something intended to be done at this time. And, there has been no large fundraising effort. If there was, there would be funds for Triple Grotto.
3.7.15 - San Francisco Zoo launches Website Donation Page. --
... Update > Only publicity for it has been the initial Facebook Mention.
3.14.15 - Million Dollar Donation for Chimps! ... News from Zoo is an Anonymous Donor gave 1 Million toward the Triple Grotto Upgrade and Sky Trail addition.
3.26.15 - Upgrades Start!? ... The Rusty and Peeling 1980s structure in Grotto 2, has been sanded and painted! Not an upgrade but hopes for a larger plan of immediate action!
... Update > The excitement ends there. The only other thing to be done is long overdue maintenance to the structure in Grotto 1 and the night quarters.
3.26.15 -
Director Peterson noted in discussion with me at the Joint Zoo Meeting, that the Million Dollar donation was enough to get the initial Sky Trail/Pachyderm Building addition completed.
April 2015 - No answers as to why delays or why Sifaka exhibit being built first. Was told Sifaka completion date eta Spring 2016 and Chimp Expansion Fall 2016.
2016 - New exhibits for Wolves, Sifaka (New Animals to Zoo) and a Flamingo Upgrade open. Not only do the Chimps sit waiting, as another year and a half passes by, but so does the Komodo Dragon, who lives in a terrarium.
November 2016 - At the same time the Expansion was supposed to open, work finally began on it, gutting Pachyderm Building.
February 2017 - Construction begins on Dayroom and Bedrooms for Chimpanzees in Pachyderm Building.
February 2018 - Construction begins on new Yard!
September 15, 2018 - Chimps access the new Skytrails for the first time! Their first time outside of Triple Grotto in fifty years!
October 2018 - New Chimpanzee Qadeer arrives!
November 21, 2018 - Over three and a half years after promised new living space, the Chimps access the new Dayroom for the first time! Dayroom opens to public the next day, Thanksgiving!
2.8.19 - Chimps See their new Friend Qadeer for the first time! First Chimp they have seen in almost fifty years! They see their new Bedrooms too! Super Hootfest!
2.16.19 - Erie Zoo News Flash! Ollie Orangutan is moving to San Francisco!?
The Big Question is "Where is he going"?
March 2019 - Chimps move out of Triple Grotto.
May 2019 - Both Male and Female Orangutans are Here! Occupying Triple Grotto bedrooms.
5.30.19 - Full integration of Chimps successful and the four access the new Yard together for the first time! Another Super Hootfest!
June 2019 - Chimps have random access to Yard. My count is less than a dozen times and that's generous. ... Female Orangutan also has access.
8.15.19 - New Chimpanzee Nick arrives! (From Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa) The Two Females he lived with will follow in September.
July - August 18, 2019 - Chimps have had no Outside access for Seven Weeks. Not to the Trails, Not to the/their Yard.
8.18.19 - I wrote a blog post about what is going on with Chimps, not having outdoor access in seven weeks.
8.19.19 - In tears, The Chimps were given outside access!
9.11.19 - Two Female Chimpanzees, Twiggy and Jamie! arrive from Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa. Total of Seven Chimpanzees now!
9.16.19 - Chimpanzees: All Males Integrated. All Females Integrated. Boy group or Girl group occupy either dayroom or yard.
9.26.19 - The Chimpanzees have thankfully had continuous access to yard since 8.19.19. ... This means that (for the past five weeks) with no other yard, the only access outside of the bedrooms for the Orangutans is the Skytrails.
9.30.19 - The Orangutans touch for the first time! .. Until now they have only made no contact swipes at eachother. Ollie initiated grooming to Amoi.
10.1.19 - The Seven Chimpanzees now have mesh to mesh access to eachother! ... The Boys and Girls can now touch eachother through the mesh. Full Integration is a long process, but hopefully soon!
10.10.19 - This week saw a change in Ollie. Since his grooming interaction with Amoi, he has been out from under his blanket and following her around. This is important to note, as the Orangutans are more active and continue to only have the Skytrails as outside access, for the seventh week.
10.17.19 - This week ended with there still being no renovation in Triple Grotto. The Orangutans only outside access remains the Skytrails.
10.24.19 - This week ended with there still being no renovation in Triple Grotto. The Orangutans only outside access remains the Skytrails.
10.31.19 - This week ended with there still being no renovation in Triple Grotto. The Orangutans only outside access remains the Skytrails.
11.7.19 - This week ended with there still being no renovation in Triple Grotto. The Orangutans only outside access remains the Skytrails.
11.14.19 - This week ended with there still being no renovation in Triple Grotto. The Orangutans only outside access remains the Skytrails.
11.18.19 - Full Integration of Chimps starts! The male and female Chimpanzees have been separted since he arrival of the three additions two months ago. The mesh howdy fence was opened today for the first time all seven no have access to eachother!
11.18.19 - This week ended with there still being no renovation in Triple Grotto. The Orangutans only outside access remains the Skytrails.
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Blogger's Statement
"Personal Opinions and Facts presented publicly are Not against the law or any rules. ... Censorship and Retaliation Actions in an attempt at Suppression are frowned upon by Healthy Societies."
For Full Statement see this post:
https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-zoo-status.html
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