San Francisco, CA
Report finds San Francisco Zoo ‘extremely outdated', unsafe for animals
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released by the San Francisco Animal Control and Welfare Commission accused the San Francisco Zoo of having “extremely outdated” enclosures and mismanagement.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 corners 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 encoding the top of the enclosure.
In 2007, Tatinia the tiger escaped her exhibit and killed a visitor.
The Kangaroo habitat was explicitly cited as having a lack of running water.
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 a statement on Friday that said the Zoo’s current accreditation is based on a few-hour visit in 2022, during which its zoologist saw no significant problems.
The skies were clear, and Karl the Fog didn’t intervene to block the spectators’ view as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flew over the San Francisco Bay and its landmarks, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Salesforce Tower, and the Transamerica Building, to name a few during the annual Fleet Week event, as seen from Treasure Island in San Francisco, on Friday afternoon.
The air show and other attractions continue on Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13. For more information, check the Fleet Week schedule here.
Originally Published:
The San Francisco Giants made a lot of moves with their pitching staff in the offseason leading into the 2024 campaign.
There were headline grabbers, such as signing reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and trading for former winner of the award, Robbie Ray. There were also some more slightly under the radar additions, such as Jordan Hicks.
Alas, none of the moves paid off as much as the team had hoped they would.
It took Snell until July to find his groove and he is poised to hit the free agent market again after a really strong summer. Ray made only seven starts as he battled injuries throughout.
Injured list stints also plagued Hicks in his first season with the Giants.
Signed to a four-year, $44 million deal last winter, Hicks began 2024 in the team’s starting rotation. He made 20 starts before shifting to the bullpen, where he made eight appearances before getting hurt.
His last appearance was on August 24th before he missed about three weeks of action. He returned to pitch one more time on September 14th against the San Diego Padres, but ended the season on the injured list again.
Durablity has been a concern for the talented righty throughout his Major League career. This past season was the most starts and innings that he has pitched in a single season, as he broke triple-digits for the first time with 109.2.
Heading into the offseason, it will be interesting to see what the plan is for Hicks moving forward. There could be a more pressing need for the bullpen than starting rotation in 2025, which could play into the decisionmaking.
One San Francisco beat writer believes a hybrid role could be best for him moving forward.
“It all depends on how he’s feeling in the spring. The bullpen was a fallback plan all along. Honestly, Hicks might be most valuable in a swingman role for a team willing to deploy its pitching in a non-traditional way. I’m not sure that will describe the Giants in 2025, though,” wrote Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic when answering a mailbag question.
He lasted longer as a starter than some people thought he would, but there is a lot of strain on his shoulder to succeed in such a role. An overworked bullpen would certainly receive a boost from someone of Hicks’ caliber.
But, as Baggarly noted, it is anyone’s guess if the team would deploy such a strategy with their pitching. A team such as the Detroit Tigers with their chaos approach would be the ideal situation for the 28-year-old based on his answer as a swingman.
Acclaimed chef Akira Back opened ABSteak on Ellis Street in Union Square. The high-end modern Korean barbecue restaurant features premium cuts of dry-aged beef and wagyu. This is the steakhouse’s second location in California.
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