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Legislation would make Zoo a rescue center
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by tigers9 on June 11, 2008
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Mail this to a friend!
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Gerbils are illegal in CA, so when they get confiscated, they would now have a place to go.;-)
Z
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/11/BA3F1177HE.DTL
Legislation would make Zoo a rescue center
Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The San Francisco Zoo would transform to a center that primarily houses rescued domestic and exotic animals and those confiscated by law enforcement under legislation proposed at City Hall Tuesday by Supervisor Chris Daly.
The legislation would create a city policy that states that future acquisitions of animals occur from rescues or confiscations. The legislation also would create an advisory committee to monitor the welfare of animals at the zoo.
Daly said the Christmas Day incident at the San Francisco Zoo in which an escaped tiger killed a teen and injured his two adult friends was "rooted in fundamental animal welfare deficiencies at the zoo." The tiger was shot dead by police.
"That tragedy is the latest indication that there are structural problems that plague the zoo," Daly said.
His proposal comes just days after the executive director of the zoo, Manuel Mollinedo, abruptly resigned his post. The zoo did not give a specific reason for his departure, and a spokeswoman did not return a request for comment on Daly's legislation Tuesday evening.
The legislation, which Daly said was not timed to Mollinedo's resignation, closely resembles recommendations from the city's Animal Care and Welfare Commission made earlier this year in response to the tiger attack.
The 250-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped from the tiger grotto that had concrete moat walls nearly 4 feet below the minimum height recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits zoos around the country.
The female tiger attacked the group of friends outside the grotto, killing one, and then followed the other two to another part of the zoo where she continued her attack until police killed her.
Officials added glazing and fencing that brings the height of the fences to a total of 19 feet and installed hot wire to the moat walls so that the big cats will get an electric shock if they contact it.
In the years before the tiger escape, the zoo's accreditation had been in jeopardy because of operational and maintenance shortcomings. Prior to that, in 2004, two of the zoo's elephants died and the welfare of zoo animals came under intense scrutiny.
After pressure from animal-rights activists and the Board of Supervisors, the zoo's remaining elephants were transferred to a sanctuary in Calaveras County.
The zoological society and the city are operating under a lease agreement that expires in November 2012. Daly said he wants to see his legislation - if approved - implemented over the period between now and then, which he said would serve as a "transition time."
The animal welfare oversight committee would be an advisory body to the Board of Supervisors. It would consist of five members nominated by the board president and approved by the full board.
New animal acquisitions could include gifts - along with rescued and seized animals - and the legislation allows for breeding of species such as Sumatran tigers, African lions, gorillas, giraffes and a handful of others.
Deniz Bolbol, of the group In Defense of Animals that worked with Daly to draft the legislation, said she thinks the board will have to apply pressure in addition to the legislation to force changes at the zoo, which is overseen by the Recreation and Parks Commission.
"I would like it to be more binding, but this is a good start," Bolbol said.
E-mail Wyatt Buchanan at wbuchanan@sfchronicle.com.
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