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MEDIA RELEASE: Leadership Crisis: Calls for San Francisco Zoo Director to Step Down

MEDIA RELEASE: Leadership Crisis: Calls for San Francisco Zoo Director to Step Down

SAN FRANCISCO (January 17, 2025)In Defense of Animals and its partners SF Zoo Watch and Panda Voices welcome the resignation of San Francisco Zoo’s Deputy Director Vitus Leung. The organizations are calling for the resignation of Zoo Director and CEO Tanya Peterson, due to critical failures in animal and staff welfare that have been undermined and ignored throughout her 17-year tenure. 

“San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson should follow in the footsteps of Deputy Director Vitus Leung and resign,” said Brittany Michelson, Campaign Specialist for Captive Animals at In Defense of Animals. “It’s time to answer the call for new leadership at the zoo, which prioritizes the wellbeing of animals and staff over reckless financial gambles. We stand with zoo experts, donors, staff, San Francisco residents, and animal advocates worldwide in redoubling our call for the city and the zoo to abandon the irresponsible panda plan and instead prioritize urgent existing needs. The first step must be a comprehensive audit that transforms the San Francisco Zoo crisis into an opportunity to reimagine the zoo as an ecopark — one that aligns with modern trends, conservation needs, and San Francisco’s progressive culture and expectations, focusing on wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and the direct conservation and release of local species.”

The San Francisco Zoo has consistently dismissed internal and external criticisms, even after an audit was ordered by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on December 10. The $70 million panda plan was financially unsustainable from the outset, even with new cost-cutting measures such as repurposing a lion exhibit to house them — despite the significant welfare risk that would pose to pandas — and assigning an insect curator to oversee their care.

Peterson admitted in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle that the panda plans remain tentative and are dependent on support from newly-elected Mayor Daniel Lurie. One of the zoo’s major donors has since withdrawn funding, refusing to contribute to a budget-cut version of the project that still carries a $25 million price tag.

A significant number of keepers have resigned, citing management's negligence towards both animal and staff safety. These concerns were reinforced by a city Animal Commission report, which found the zoo endangers animals and public safety. 

In May 2024, an overwhelming 97% of the zoo's union members voted no confidence in Peterson, following a similar vote in 2014. Despite an inquiry, management has failed to act

“Under Tanya Peterson’s leadership, the San Francisco Zoo has faced persistent mismanagement, substandard animal care, and a glaring failure to meet modern ethical and conservation standards,” said Justin Barker of SF Zoo Watch. “Her tenure has prioritized optics over action, leaving animals in outdated, inadequate habitats and the public without transparency or accountability. It is clear that she is unfit to lead, and her resignation is not just necessary — it is overdue. The zoo, its animals, and the city of San Francisco deserve competent and compassionate leadership now.”

Taciana Santiago of Panda Voices echoed this sentiment. “We hope that the resignation of one of the main leaders of the zoo will be followed by Tanya Peterson’s resignation and represents the start of a profound and greatly needed change in the San Francisco Zoo. The unsustainable and cruel plan to bring pandas to such a problematic facility must be immediately stopped, and priority should be given to addressing the long list of the zoo’s issues. We hope that a new and qualified leadership team, truly committed to animal welfare, will take over the management of the zoo.”

San Francisco is grappling with an $800 million budget shortfall, resulting in deep cuts to critical public services like healthcare and education. The zoo’s plan to acquire pandas — estimated to cost $70 million over 10 years — is financially irresponsible. Even if private donations fund initial construction, the long-term care for pandas requires significant ongoing resources, including specialized facilities and staff, regular flights to import fresh bamboo, and costs far exceeding revenue as seen in similar failed panda programs in Finland and Scotland

Giant panda YaYa has regained her health after being returned to China, but LeLe died from inadequate care facilities and a lack of high-quality bamboo at Memphis Zoo. Photos: Panda Voices/Beijing Zoo

At Memphis Zoo, mismanagement of panda care led to severe health declines and the death of a panda, demonstrating the risks of underfunded, poorly executed panda exhibits.

A recent New York Times investigative series has exposed significant problems with China’s panda diplomacy program, revealing that it harms more pandas than it saves, has taken more pandas from the wild than have been released, extracts funds for infrastructure projects totally unrelated to panda conservation, and meddles in U.S. government affairs.

Over 15,000 people have signed a letter urging San Francisco Zoo and the Mayor’s office to abandon the doomed panda plan and fix the zoo’s existing issues.

 

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CONTACTS: 


In Defense of Animals, Brittany Michelson, brittany@idausa.org 928-420-0727
SF Zoo Watch, Justin Barker, justinmbarker@gmail.com 916-838-3330

IMAGES & VIDEO of pandas and advocates are available on request.


ORGANIZATIONS:


In Defense of Animals is an international animal rescue and protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a history of defending animals, the environment, and their guardians through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, rural Mississippi, and California since 1983. www.idausa.org/entertainment

Panda Voices is an organization created in early 2021 by an international group of panda fans from Asia, Europe & The Americas, brought together by concerns over pandas YaYa & LeLe, which began years before. The organization is committed to give voice to the voiceless and promote the humane treatment of animals in captivity through advocacy and services. www.pandavoices.org

SF Zoo Watch is committed to exposing negligence and mismanagement at the San Francisco Zoo. We fight for the safety and ethical treatment of animals and workers, pushing for transparency and accountability. Join us in demanding a safer, more humane San Francisco Zoo. https://sfzoo.watch

 

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