A report released by the San Francisco Animal Control and Welfare Commission accused the San Francisco Zoo of having "extremely outdated" enclosures and mismanagement.
Animal activists, animal welfare advisors, and veterinarians toured the 95-year-old popular institution. Based on their observations, the report primarily highlighted the size of the enclosures and how long they've gone without repairs.
"The safety measures to meet the AZA and USDA enclosure requirements are minimal and even more frightening – unsafe for the animals and visitors," read the report.
Justin Barker, founder of the San Francisco Zoo Watch, toured the facility and expressed concerns about specific exhibits.
"SF Zoo is one of the worst-run zoos in the country," Barker said. "All you have to do is talk to former and current staff to understand the full problem."
Among the concerns was the koala habitat. The report stated that it could only hold one Koala at a time, but the Zoo currently had three.
The report added that the jaguar exhibit should be designed to provide the highest security level, including completely enclosing the top of the enclosure.
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In 2007, Tatiana the tiger escaped her exhibit and killed a visitor.
The Kangaroo habitat was explicitly cited as having a lack of running water.
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The SF Zoo responded and said the report had severe inaccuracies.
"As an AZA-accredited institution, we are proud of the industry-leading care and safe habitats we provide for all of our animals," the Zoo said in a statement.
The report comes a few months after Mayor London Breed announced plans to bring pandas to the facility.
"The Mayor agrees the Zoo is in need of revitalization, which is why bringing a global attraction such as the pandas would be ideal – to expedite and invest in improvements and enhancements where necessary," the mayor's office said in a statement.
Barker said it would be irresponsible for the Zoo and city to proceed with a panada plan and asked that the Board of Supervisors conduct an audit.
Ahsha Safai, supervisor for District 11, agreed with Barker and said the Zoo's owner and city must take the report seriously.
"The welfare commission asked the board of supervisors to do an audit; we're going to do that; we need a hearing; we need to bring all the parties in a room," Safai said.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin agreed that the Zoo needs an audit.
"I agree that a comprehensive performance audit of the San Francisco Zoo is overdue," Peskin said.
Both Peskin and Safai are running for mayor.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums released the following statement on Friday:
"San Francisco Zoo was most recently accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in March 2022.
That accreditation was based on an inspection visit and report, in January 2022, by a team of three, independent accreditation inspectors representing decades of combined, expert zoological and veterinary experience. They spent four days inspecting the entire facility, including visitor areas, animal exhibits and behind-the-scenes spaces, and interviewing more than 40 people, from board members to zoo leadership to animal keepers.
Following the inspection, and prior to receiving accreditation, the San Franciso Zoo appeared at a hearing before AZA’s independent and expert Accreditation Commission. No significant animal welfare or safety issues were identified, according to Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
In contrast, the recent report from the San Francisco Joint Zoo Committee animal welfare advisors, was based on a visit of a few hours, and recognizes that they had only 'limited' conversations with zoo staff or officials. It is our understanding that the San Francisco Zoo will appear before the Joint Zoo Committee next week, and it would seem fair to withhold judgement until the zoo has an opportunity to respond."
