Leadership Retained Despite Unresolved Issues & Public Outcry 

SAN FRANCISCO (Sept. 20, 2024) — In Defense of Animals, Panda Voices, SF Zoo Watch, and Bay Area animal rights advocates are deeply disappointed by the conclusion of the San Francisco Zoo’s internal investigation into significant concerns from workers. Despite a second union staff vote of no-confidence in CEO Tanya Peterson, the Board of the San Francisco Zoological Society has chosen to retain her, leaving critical concerns about animal welfare and staff safety unaddressed. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Wednesday, Sept. 18, that the board of the San Francisco Zoological Society had expressed confidence in Peterson, who has held the position since 2008, stating the five-month internal investigation had ended.

“We are appalled by the board’s decision to overlook critical concerns raised by employees, including unsafe staffing levels, retaliation, and numerous preventable animal deaths. These issues remain unaddressed, and we will continue to push for urgent reforms,” said Brittany Michelson, Campaign Specialist for Captive Animals at In Defense of Animals.

In April, a San Francisco Chronicle investigation revealed decades of serious animal welfare issues, employee safety concerns for themselves and animals, and allegations of nepotism that remain unresolved. Following the investigation, 97% of the zoo’s union members cast a vote of no-confidence in Peterson’s leadership. Yet, the board’s statement expressed continued support for Peterson, citing her fundraising abilities and planned initiatives, such as the highly controversial giant panda aquisition, spearheaded by Mayor London Breed, which has faced opposition from San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin and nearly 14,000 In Defense of Animals’ supporters. Opponents of the panda plan argue that the zoo, which is struggling to care for its current residents, isn’t capable of caring for giant pandas.

“We made a good faith effort to work with the board, but the lack of meaningful response to our concerns leaves us disheartened,” said Corey Hallman, a representative of the zoo’s union, to the chronicle. “Our voices were not heard, and our concerns about both animal welfare and staff safety were ignored.”

The investigation failed to address multiple issues. Some buildings at San Francisco Zoo are 100 years old and facilities are crumbling — including Mother’s Building, a designated historical landmark on the national register of historic places. Maintenance has been deferred for years, upgrades seemingly abandoned mid-project, and enclosures have proven unsafe for animals, staff, and visitors. Examples of tragic and preventable animal deaths and unsafe incidents include:

• The escape of Siberian tiger Tatiana, who killed a visitor in 2007 before being shot;
• The crushing of baby lowland gorilla Kabibe, by a hydraulic door malfunction in 2014;
• The theft of endangered lemur Maki in 2020;
• The death of Handy Harry, a young penguin, who was struck and killed by a door in 2023;
• The theft of squirrel monkey Banana Sam in 2011;
• The deaths of two wallaroos and a red kangaroo who were killed when a predator entered their unsafe enclosure in 2020;
• The near-death of a keeper when a grizzly bear chased her owing to a door malfunction in 2023;
• The death of a sacred ibis in 2024 due to unsafe, filthy conditions in the birdhouse by aspergillosis — an infection caused by mold.

“Despite these tragic examples, the zoo’s leadership has shown no urgency in addressing long-standing infrastructure failures and the welfare of its residents,” added Michelson.

In addition to ignoring severe animal welfare issues, the zoo has failed to address long-standing worker safety concerns, including retaliation and unsafe staffing levels. “It will be impossible to attract and retain talent when management ignores serious safety and welfare issues,” Michelson concluded.

“We are calling for immediate reforms and for City Hall to take action to prevent further harm to both animals and staff at the San Francisco Zoo,” said Justin Barker of SF Zoo Watch. “By retaining Tanya Peterson as CEO, the San Francisco Zoological Society has proven beyond a doubt that it is unfit to continue managing the zoo. The board’s refusal to replace Peterson and overlook critical worker safety and animal neglect issues signals a dangerous commitment to maintaining the status quo, despite overwhelming evidence of negligence. This decision jeopardizes the welfare of both animals and staff. Under Peterson’s leadership, the zoo has faced multiple crises, from the tragic deaths of animals to unsafe working conditions, yet the board has ignored these red flags. It is clear that the priorities of the current leadership are misaligned with what is best for the zoo and the community. The City of San Francisco must act now to terminate the contract with the Zoological Society and find a responsible organization that will truly prioritize the well-being of animals, employees, and the integrity of the zoo.”

While the San Francisco Zoo union staff are disappointed their concerns have been swept aside, concerns about animal welfare and deaths have gone completely unaddressed. Animal advocacy organizations are calling for an urgent and immediate animal welfare overhaul and an immediate moratorium on animal intake, especially to prevent highly sensitive giant pandas from entering the zoo. They are calling for the city to renegotiate its lease agreement with the zoological society given vast evidence of the zoological society’s lack of interest in employee and animal welfare by retaining Tanya Peterson. 

In addition to squandering a vital opportunity to turn things around for zoo staff, buildings, and animals, concerns remain about the zoo’s plan to host giant pandas from China, a project that could cost upwards of $70 million over 10 years, even as critical infrastructure remains outdated.

“It's disappointing that after all the incidents, safety and animal welfare issues, animal deaths, and wholesale negligence, the San Francisco Zoological Society is not willing to make the desperately necessary and profound changes at the zoo by keeping the current CEO Tanya Peterson. This increases even more our concerns about the plans of the zoo to host giant pandas. The San Francisco Zoo urgently needs a new leadership that will focus on addressing the long list of issues and work to improve the well-being of their current animals and employees, instead of sacrificing them to bring giant pandas, and putting in risk these very sensitive animals in a crumbling zoo,” said Taciana Santiago, one of the co-founders of Panda Voices.

“The zoo is struggling to care for its current residents, and it is outrageous that new animals would be brought into such an environment,” added Michelson. “We urge San Francisco City Hall to impose an immediate moratorium on animal intake at the zoo and renegotiate its lease agreement with the Zoological Society, given the overwhelming evidence of its failure to prioritize the well-being of animals and staff.”

The inboxes of Mayor Breed, San Francisco city officials, and the San Francisco Zoo have been flooded with nearly 14,000 emails urging a halt to plans that would send pandas into dangerous conditions at the San Francisco Zoo. Concerned citizens are urged to add their voice by signing In Defense of Animals’ action alert: www.idausa.org/sfpanda

CONTACTS: 

• Brittany Michelson, brittany@idausa.org 928-420-0727
• Justin Barker, justinmbarker@gmail.com 916-838-3330

In Defense of Animals is an international animal rescue and protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 41-year 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 central California. www.idausa.org

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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