San Francisco Zoo unsafe for visitors and animals, according to scathing report

SAN FRANCISCO - A new report is slamming the San Francisco Zoo, calling it unsafe for visitors and animals.

The San Francisco Animal Control and Welfare Commission released a report written by animal advocates with a list of complaints, including rundown exhibits, and zoo animals with no running water or protection from the elements, as first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Many of the zoo's enclosures are extremely outdated and fail to meet the criteria outlined above from an animal welfare perspective," part of the report states. "Parts of the zoo are best described as dilapidated. It looks like an institution that needs a comprehensive strategic re-design plan to modernize the habitats."

Justin Barker, an animal activist and the person behind the watchdog blog SF Zoo Watch, took a tour of the facility alongside animal welfare advocates and veterinarians, including non-voting members of the Joint Zoo/Recs and Park Committee as part of the report presentation. 

"The best way to describe the San Francisco Zoo is a crumbling zoo," he said. 

Words like "dilapidated" and "outdated" were used to describe parts of the zoo in the report, making recommendations such as a performance audit of the zoo by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and putting a stop to the controversial plan to bring pandas to the site.  

SAN FRANCISCO - DECEMBER 27: Two people wait for a bus in front of the San Francisco Zoo December 27, 2007 in San Francisco, California. The zoo remains closed pending further investigation into the Christmas Day tiger attack that left one person dea

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After a presentation Thursday night, the Animal Control and Welfare Commission, an advisory body to the city, voted unanimously Thursday night to support the recommendations in the report.

The report states that the zoo has not been audited in more than 20 years. 

"We’ve had animals escape from their cages and kill patrons, we’ve had people getting into the zoo and stealing animals and we’ve had animals dying from failing infrastructure," Barker said.

The zoo is owned by the city but run by the nonprofit San Francisco Zoological Society.  

Barker added much of the information from the report came directly from current or former zoo staff.

"Every decision that management makes is not in the best interest of the animals and staff," he said. "It’s really time that the city re-evaluates its contract with the Zoological Society."

A Zoo spokesperson said the report has "serious inaccuracies," writing in a statement via email, "We are proud of the industry-leading care and safe habitats we provide for all our animals. we are honored to be an award-winning and cherished community asset, hosting nearly 700,000 visitors annually."

The report also indicates that bringing pandas into the facility would not work because the infrastructure and unsafe conditions would not support the needs of a sensitive animal like a panda.

"By spending 70 million dollars on 2 bears, we’ll totally be neglecting the other animals that are really suffering," said Barker.

In a statement from Mayor London Breed’s office, a spokesperson writes in an email, "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 also said the Zoo exceeds the standards set by the accrediting organization, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the AZA, said the facility was most recently observed in March 2022 by three independent accreditation inspectors in a four-day inspection, interviewing more than 40 people, from board members to zoo leadership to animal keepers. 

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"No significant animal welfare or safety issues were identified," Ashe said. "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."

Multiple San Francisco Supervisors are in support of the report’s recommendation for an audit, including Supervisors and mayoral candidates Aaron Peskin and Ahsha Safai, who plan to bring the issue to the next board meeting.

"We should probably get our house in order before the pandas come here and not after," said Peskin, suggesting the pandas' arrival could speed up improvements.

"We have to look at the entire health of the zoo, how it’s being led, how it’s being managed, the working conditions of the staff," Safai added. 

Safai also noted that the union representing zoo staff reports 97% of the workers have a vote of no-confidence in the SF Zoo CEO Tanya Peterson. 

Safai said he will recommend a hearing with the SF Zoo leadership, the union, the Joint Zoo/Recs and Park Committee, and the Animal Control and Welfare Commission.

Supervisors Myrna Melgar and Joel Engardio said they also want the zoo audited.

Peskin said he expects full support from the Board of Supervisors to move forward with an audit by November.