SF Zoological Society Is Investigating? - News Article

Good Grief.  My first reaction to this is, The San Francisco Zoological Society is the one who should BE investigated!  The Society Board needs investigation as to why it has not provided any oversight for at least a minimum of sixteen years, those being the reign of Tanya Peterson as Director?

I'm way behind posting my reactions to the words of Zoo related Officials quoted in these news articles.  My goal is this weekend.  Hope I succeed.  For this one, my reaction is a two-parter!  Check back if interested.

If anyone associated with the Chronicle has an issue with this, use the comment form to message me, and include a name an email contact at the Chronicle.

San Francisco Chronicle - Friday May 10, 2024 

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/zoo-investigation-19446885.php

Text from this SFChronicle article

appears below.

The organization that runs the San Francisco Zoo is conducting an internal investigation, an action that follows a Chronicle report that detailed employee allegations of mismanagement, safety lapses and animal welfare concerns, as well as a recent vote of no confidence in CEO and executive director Tanya Peterson by the zoo’s union. 

The investigation comes just as San Francisco has begun preparations to host a pair of high-profile pandas from China at the zoo as soon as next year.

On Thursday, executive board members of the San Francisco Zoological Society, the nonprofit organization that runs the city-owned zoo, held a meeting with investigator Harriet Lipkin, a Washington, D.C.-based labor lawyer, and members of the zoo’s union, according to sources familiar with the meeting. Melinda Dunn, the new chair of the Zoological Society board, has also encouraged employees to contact the investigator directly to discuss their concerns, emails obtained by the Chronicle show. 

“Engaging in due diligence is a fundamental aspect of board governance and should not be misconstrued as a negative reflection of the zoo’s leadership or its operational procedures,” Dunn said in a statement to the Chronicle.

Exactly who or what is being investigated is unclear. It is also unclear exactly when the investigation began. When asked for details, Dunn did not answer, but said, “The Zoological Society board is dedicated to collaborating with its leadership team and our labor partner to ensure a positive work environment for all our employees at the zoo. In alignment with this commitment and in cooperation with the union, we are utilizing several channels for gathering information.”

Thursday’s meeting was scheduled after 97% of the zoo’s union members cast a vote of no-confidence in Peterson in early April, according to an April 17 letter that union representative Corey Hallman sent to membership and was obtained by the Chronicle. A statement accompanying the vote alleged that Peterson had created a ‘toxic work environment’ and that the zoo suffered from staffing shortages and safety problems, such as concerns about the security of proposed housing for a new jaguar, among other issues.  

Peterson, who has led the zoo since 2008, did not respond to specific allegations raised by employees, but said in a statement to the Chronicle: “I fully endorse initiatives aimed at fostering positive dialogue and communication. I take immense pride in our dedicated employees and consider it an honor to collaborate with them in advancing the zoo’s mission.”  

Hallman declined to comment when contacted for this story. But in the April 17 letter, Hallman wrote that Dunn had informed the union that it was “conducting an investigation into the issues the union has raised.” The Chronicle’s investigation into the zoo was published online April 17.

Separately, Larry Mazzola, the chair of an advisory group within the Recreation and Park Commission called the Joint Zoo Committee, said he is doing his own research into similar issues. After the Chronicle published its article, which detailed concerns about safety, zoo management and animal welfare from 20 current and former employees, Mazzola said he would invite Peterson and Dunn to the committee’s June meeting, which is public, to discuss them.

Mazzola said he is “investigating these issues” in preparation for the June meeting.

“My goal is to have all of the facts out on the table with reasonable solutions so we can make the S.F. Zoo the best place to work for the employees, and the best place to live for the animals,” he said in an email.

The San Francisco Zoo has also been in the media spotlight since Mayor London Breed announced last month that she had secured the loan of a pair of pandas for the zoo from China, due to arrive in 2025. The zoo will spend an estimated $25 million to build housing for the bears and potentially pay $1 million a year for the loan of the animals. 

Breed spokesperson Parisa Safarzadeh said the mayor is focused on construction preparation and fundraising for the panda’s arrival, which she called a multiagency effort. “The S.F. Zoo is one of the city’s most prized attractions,” Safarzadeh said in a statement. She added that the mayor “supports the process actively in play for workers to report all concerns and raise issues. This process is happening as it should, and the mayor will continue to monitor all developments.”

In addition to the no-confidence union vote in early April, a group of 15 self-described nonunion staff members emailed Dunn anonymously last month to share their concerns about issues raised in the Chronicle’s report and other complaints, including “many years of inadequate leadership” at the zoo, according to a copy of the email obtained by the Chronicle. Peterson did not respond to a request to comment on the letter’s statement on zoo leadership.

In response to the email, Dunn said she appreciated them sharing their views and wrote, “We want to hear your concerns, suggestions and thoughts for the future.” 

Dunn also wrote that Lipkin, senior counsel at DLA Piper who specializes in hospitality and leisure, was “scheduling interviews with individuals with first-hand knowledge of the allegations, as necessary to conduct her investigation. Her charge is to conduct an unbiased investigation, without revealing the identity of her reliable sources.”

Earlier this year, the board also offered zoo employees a new online portal to report concerns. Dunn said that some kind of employee hotline had been in place since 2008.

The recent vote of no-confidence comes a decade after a similar one also raised concerns about Peterson’s leadership. 

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