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San Francisco Zoological Society Statement
Supervisor Daly's Legislation to Change the Mission of the San Francisco Zoo
| 9/16/08 UPDATE: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT - YOUR VOICE HAS BEEN HEARD! The San Francisco Zoo couldn't be more pleased with today's Board of Supervisors vote against Chris Daly's proposed rescue zoo legislation. The Zoo's animal welfare and well-being has never been and never will be compromised. That is not what this legislation was about – it was about changing the Zoo's mission. As the Zoo moves forward, it welcomes the proposal by Mayor Newsom and Supervisor Dufty to improve the working of the Joint Zoo Committee. The Zoo also pledges to work with the full Board of Supervisors to ensure transparency, improve communication between the City and the Zoological Society and maintain focus on rebuilding and making improvements to its aging facility. The outpour of support for the Zoo in response to this proposed legislation has been tremendous. Never in the Zoo's history has an issue galvanized the Zoo family in support of its mission and the important work it does. We owe a huge thanks to all of you who supported us in this effort! If you can, please take a moment to send a "thank you" to the below supervisors who supported the Zoo during today's vote. District 1 Jake McGoldrick
District 2 Michela Alioto-Pier
District 3 Aaron Peskin, President of the Board
District 4 Carmen Chu
District 7 Sean Elsbernd
District 8 Bevan Dufty
District 10 Sophie Maxwell | On June 10, 2008, Supervisor Chris Daly, in conjunction with representatives from In Defense of Animals and the City of San Francisco's Animal Control and Welfare Commission, put forth a legislative ordinance that would transform the San Francisco Zoo into an "animal rescue facility." Among other things, the San Francisco Zoo would be limited to only accepting animals that have been rescued from roadside zoos, are not part of global conservation efforts, and are medically and behaviorally challenged. The San Francisco Zoological Society finds the "rescue zoo" concept to be extremely narrow in scope and counter-productive to the Zoo's mission. The San Francisco Zoo is already a rescue zoo, both in its commitment to accepting rescue animals whenever appropriate and in its participation in global species survival conservation programs. We are home to more than 100 rescued animals; from the largest - grizzly sisters Kachina and Kiona, who were saved from euthanasia - to the tiny saw whet owl, who is the size of a tennis ball with wings; one broken during a collision with a ski vehicle. Rather than being euthanized, the owl and all of our rescued animals are ambassadors for their species to help tell the story about the importance of respecting wild animals and habitats. Aside from our animal rescue programs that focus on individual species, the Zoo also must continue to be involved in broader, global conservation programs. This is done through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), which is America's leading oversight organization for zoos and aquariums and accredits only those institutions that have achieved rigorous standards for animal care, education, wildlife conservation and science. The Zoological Society is proud to be among the 200 accredited zoos in North America. Supervisor Daly's legislation would have resulted in the loss of the Zoo's accreditation and impact the Zoo's 66 conservation programs. Some of the conservation programs that have brought accolades to the Zoo and the City of San Francisco include: - The San Francisco garter snake recovery program. This program educates people who live near the snake's habitat to appreciate and protect the species. Some of the snakes that aren't part of the breeding program have visited more than 6,000 children in San Francisco and San Mateo County as part of the ZooMobile Outreach Program.
- The California Bald Eagle recovery program. A record-breaking 103 eagle chicks were hatched and released into the wild on Santa Catalina and Santa Cruz Islands.
- Fourteen black rhinoceros calves - a species on the brink of extinction - were born at the San Francisco Zoo. Along with 36 other zoos and the International Rhino Foundation, the San Francisco Zoo played an integral role in the reintroduction of black rhinos in Botswana.
The legislation would have severely impacted the Zoo's award-winning education programs, designed and developed to support the Zoo's conservation mission. These programs reach more than 24,000 San Francisco schoolchildren each year and another 125,000 children and adults throughout the Bay Area. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING YOUR ZOO! |
