Leaked Report Reveals San Francisco Zoo Staff Concerns
Leaked Document Uncovers the Full Extent of Issues Leading to the 97% No Confidence Union Staff Vote Against San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson
SF Zoo Watch has obtained a leaked document exposing the full extent of grievances from zoo union staff against San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson. This detailed account reveals a disturbing pattern of safety issues, chronic mismanagement, and animal welfare failures, culminating in an overwhelming 97% vote of no confidence from zoo employees. While some concerns have surfaced in the media, this document uncovers a far deeper crisis within the zoo's leadership.
Here is the copy of the document and the downloadable scan available at the end of post:
Vote of No Confidence in Tanya Peterson: A List of Grievances
Examples of safety issues (not an exhaustive list):
A. Code red alarm issues (2011-2014); Prior to emergency buttons being added (with the acquisition of new radios), the zoo had physical code red alarm buttons that keepers were made to wear/carry of which they expressed concerns about their functionality. In a safety drill, all alarms failed. Staff members were only able to affect change by reaching out to a news outlet, after which the zoo added emergency buttons to all radios.
Relevant article: https://abc7news.com/archive/9516010/
B. "Kabibe" Baby Gorilla incident (2014); Ms. Peterson blamed and punished the keeper for the death of Kabibe. She stated that the keeper who operated the door that crushed Kabibe breached protocol by not keeping her hand on an emergency stop button. Five primate keepers informed the SF Chronicle that the safety of the gorilla enclosure was compromised by a flawed layout, problems with the doors, and inadequate staffing. Dr. Terry Maple, a gorilla expert hired by the zoo to investigate the death of Kabibe and address any problems found, confirmed that a keeper using the control panel with the emergency button would not have a clear, unimpeded view of all doors or of the enclosure behind them. Additionally, the doors were not designed to stop when they hit an object. All of the aforementioned issues had been brought to management by staff prior to the tragic incident, in writing, but staff were ignored and then blamed in the fallout.
Relevant articles:
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/S-F-Zoo-enclosure-where-gorilla- died-needs-5891682.php
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-zookeepers-say-concerns-ignored-before- 5907518.php
C. Unsafe working conditions in the dark (Fall/Winter of 2022-2023): Ms. Peterson made the decision to keep the Zoo open until 5:00 pm in the fall/winter of 2022 while grounds became physically dark by 4:30 pm. Concerns by staff were brought up about grounds being inadequately lit and/or lacking any outdoor lighting. In the winter of 2022-2023, keepers were given flashlights and headlamps for travelling between areas and physically shifting code red animals in the dark (moving doors to give animals access to different spaces such as their barns, night quarters, or exhibits) and continued to voice safety concerns but were ignored. Ms. Peterson again attempted to keep the zoo open until 5:00 pm in fall/winter of 2023-2024, but staff pushed back and the zoo return to the 4:30 pm close time of previous years.
D. Current unresolved safety concern for grotto C/D and Jaguar (2024): Staff have been told that the netted exhibit that the Jaguar currently inhabits, located next to the Snow Leopard, is temporary - and that after Lion introductions, the Jaguar would be moved to grotto C/D. As of this vote, there has been no communication as to whether this plan has changed or not. Concerns have already been raised by staff and care as follows:
1. From the AZA Jaguar Animal Care Manual: "Primary containment for jaguars should be designed to provide the highest level of security. If possible, institutions are recommended to completely enclose the top of any jaguar enclosure. However, if jaguars are to be houses in open-topped enclosure, dry moats should have a width of no less than 7.62 m (25 feet) and vertical jumps walls at least 4.57m (15 ft) high are recommended. Cantilevered supports with mesh or fencing material with an attached hot-wire is recommended for open-top fenced exhibits."
2. The zoo should be taking the highest recommended safety precautions by AZA after its history of the Tiger incident in 2008. The Jaguar should be contained in a closed-topped exhibit, not an open-topped grotto only lined with hotwire and slanted panels.
Examples of mismanagement (not an exhaustive list):
A. Short staffing:
1. Ms. Peterson and Human Resources have consistently delayed the approval of job position postings when a vacancy occurs, causing near-constant staffing shortages in multiple departments over the last few years.
2. San Francisco Zoo has a high turnover rate due to the high cost of living and a well- known reputation for a toxic work environment, further increasing staffing issues and a lack of experienced qualified candidates.
3. Animal staff in particular have had to work short-staffed for months at a time, increasing the risk of mistakes, injuries, and ability to perform their animal husbandry duties- specifically in regards to animal collection medical issues, enrichment and training. The lack of staffing has created high rates of burnout and negatively impacted animal welfare standards.
Example: The Animal Resource Center (ARC) became extremely short-staffed due to an entire department exodus over negative changes to/lack of/removal of programming (see Section E), as well as the volunteers that made the programs possible-even after Covid. What was once a vibrant, well-known program for decades was discontinued overnight. This led to a lack of experienced care-giving staff for ARC animals and the hiring of Education Specialists without a job to perform/made to do keeper work they were not qualified/hired for. This resulted in senior Main Zoo staff in other departments being made to fill in and work short-staffed in their current departments. This in turn led to poor husbandry of raptors who were forced to spend months at a time inside enclosures due to lack of experienced staff to handle them/take them out.
Examples of poor animal welfare (not an exhaustive list):
A. Patas Monkey euthanasia (2017): Primate staff felt that a juvenile Patas Monkey with cancer suffered needlessly and should have been euthanized sooner. This was not the first euthanasia that was delayed because Ms. Peterson had to give final approval. Ms. Peterson has no animal or veterinary experience, and should not have been the reason that animals suffered while she drew out the decision to euthanize. Several keepers had to notify the Park and Rec
Commissioners in 2017 about the many unethical euthanasia delays caused by Ms. Peterson for public relations reasons.
Relevant article: https://abc7news.com/amp/san-francisco-zoo-euthaniasia-monkey-patas- jp-the-sf/1942530/
B. Promoting Dominick Dorsa, VP of Animal Care, to also head the Wellness department after the departure of Jason Watters (2023). Having the head of the animal division manage Wellness created a potential conflict of interest for well over a year. Staff did not feel that they had the appropriate anonymous channels with which to report wellness issues or concerns. Staff was concerned that the Wellness team was reduced in its effectiveness of enforcing animal welfare standards under Mr. Dorsa's management. Mr. Dorsa was only recently removed from head of Wellness after over a year.
C. Bringing in animals on numerous occasions without an exhibit ready to receive them. Over the past several years, many animals have been obtained before their planned exhibits were even built. This has resulted in the majority of these animals living for years in off-exhibit holding spaces, unviewable by the public. Some species were even brought in on breeding recommendations and have not been able to breed due to lack of adequate spaces that allow breeding.
**Examples:
1. Andean Condors: The Zoo had a female on exhibit at Puente years ago. A male condor was obtained in 2016, and she moved to the Feline Conservation Center (FCC) to live next to the male until an exhibit could be built for both of them. They lived at FCC for years (off-exhibit). Ms. Peterson told the AZA accreditors in 2022 that a new exhibit would be built between Tropical Building and Bears (at the former Sea Lion exhibit). No exhibit has been built, and no progress on any exhibit has been made for them. The female was only recently put in the old exhibit at Puente (displacing several other animals into less-ideal exhibits), while the male is still at FCC. There is still a sign on the former Sea Lion exhibit that says "Future Andean Condor Exhibit," but staff have heard that the planned exhibit was cancelled.
2. Fossa (2017): Two Fossa were brought in years ago for the new Madagascar expansion. They briefly lived at the current Francois Langur exhibit, but were moved to off- exhibit spaces at FCC and have lived there for 6 years. Only one (female) Fossa has been visible after the recent completion of Phase 1 of Madagascar (See Section D2).
3. Pygmy Hippo (2022): A Pygmy Hippo was obtained on a breeding recommendation at the request of Madagascar donor Barry Lipman. The Hippo was originally intended to move to a new exhibit in the Madagascar expansion, but the exhibit was never built and plans to do so have been canceled. The hippo currently resides in the former Nile Hippo exhibit. The design of the current exhibit will not allow for breeding. As a result, this animal will be sent out to another zoo within the next few months. He is one of the most valuable breeding males in the Species Survival Plan (SSP). Staff have heard that the Zoo will receive a non-breeding female Pygmy Hippo in the future. She would also be put in the former Nile Hippo exhibit that is not properly designed for a Pygmy Hippo.
4. Madagascar Reptiles and Amphibians (2016/2017): Between 2016 and 2017, the Bird Department obtained a number of reptiles and amphibians intended to go on exhibit in the future Madagascar exhibit. At this time, the Madagascar expansion was still in its planning stages, and the Primate Discovery Center was not torn down until two years later. The animals obtained were: 15 Blue-legged Mantella frogs, 2 Day Geckos, 3 Henkel's Leaf-tailed Geckos, and 3 Sambava Tomato Frogs. All twenty-three animals have lived in off-exhibit tanks in the seven years since they were obtained, unviewable to the public. Their numbers have dwindled as they have aged and passed away, and only twelve of the original twenty-three animals remain. Most of them are now at the end of their life expectancy. Staff were informed in 2023 that these animals will not be moving to the completed tanks in the Baobab Tree because the "donor only wanted invertebrates in those tanks, not vertebrates." These animals should not have been obtained without ready exhibits, and they will continue to live out their lives in off-exhibit tanks due to Ms. Peterson allowing the donor to dictate the contents of the exhibits.
5. Attempt to send out geriatric Chimpanzees (2014): Ms. Peterson attempted to send our geriatric troop of chimpanzees to another facility, despite the fact that we had the oldest living male in the SSP and two elderly females-all of whom had spent the majority of their lives together at the San Francisco Zoo. Sending the troop out at their ages would have been extremely stressful and risky to their health, as the new facility was in Florida. Ms. Peterson knew the concerns expressed by long time caregivers and disregarded them completely. The move was only prevented, and a new exhibit space built for them (to replace the old and outdated Triple Grotto), due to a media campaign.
Relevant article: https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-zoo-i-team-dan-noyes-elderly- chimpanzees/536427/
6. Orangutans obtained without a proper exhibit ready (2019): The outdated Triple Grotto exhibit was deemed unfit to continue housing our troop of Chimpanzees (who were put in Phase 1 of the Great Ape Passage (GAP) expansion) yet Ms. Peterson obtained two Orangutans and placed them there with very few modifications (prior to the completion of Phases 2 and 3 of the GAP expansion). The Orangutan's welfare was compromised throughout the construction process of modifying the grottos. The only outside access they had for 6 months was the overhead passage tunnels (no yards). The Orangutans and Chimpanzees were then forced to share the chimpanzee yard (after forcing the newly introduced 7-member chimpanzee troop to be housed unsuccessfully inside for months-which negatively impacted their welfare) back and forth. This plan was also unsuccessful and the Orangutans now have two (out of three) outdated grotto yards-still without further appropriate modification.
7. Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs (2024); In February of 2024, Ms. Peterson acquired four male Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs without adequate overnight holding space for the species. The Lemur Forest has shrunk in its footprint over the past 5 years due to the proposed Madagascar site, despite still housing the same number of Lemur species. Staff's concerns have been ignored.
8. Axolotl (2022): Five Axolotl were obtained through a confiscation in mid-2022. They were set up in temporary holding tanks in a Hospital Quarantine room, and have lived there since. They have taken up a quarantine room for nearly two years without an exhibit.
D. Approving poorly-planned new exhibits and not putting funds into maintaining or updating old exhibits. There has been a trend under Ms. Peterson of taking shortcuts instead of properly fundraising to upgrade old exhibits/build new exhibits properly. As a result, animals are made to live in poorly-designed exhibits. Staff also struggles to work in these inappropriately designed or unfinished areas. There are currently various empty spaces on zoo grounds where new exhibits were "planned," yet cancelled due to mismanagement and lack of funds.
**Examples
1. Madagascar: The Madagascar exhibit has been an empty pit for over four years. The Zoo never obtained full funding for the Madagascar exhibit prior to tearing down the Primate Discovery Center (PDC) and sending out the majority of the Monkey collection. Additionally, the Zoo wasted money on a rental fence to block off the pit from the public. Due to lack of funds and proper preparation, the plans for the Madagascar exhibit have changed several times over the past several years.
2. Fossa exhibit: The new Fossa exhibit is poorly designed, as the shifting layout is not ideal for two Fossa. The male Fossa is also an older animal, and the exhibit does not accommodate age-related mobility issues. Only the single, younger female Fossa is able to live in the new exhibit.
3. Juvenile Penguins in former Otter Pool (2023): After losing our geriatric otter in early 2023, five juvenile penguins were separated from the main colony and moved into the former otter exhibit. Staff were informed that the reason the animals were separated and moved was to "not have another empty exhibit." The exhibit was a poor space for them as it wasn't species appropriate, isolated them from the adults, and did not allow enough space for natural behaviors. All of the juvenile Penguins developed health issues from the exhibit (all were recently identified as being obese and diagnosed with bumblefoot due to inappropriate substrate). One penguin was even killed in an accident with the heavy guillotine shift door. The juvenile Penguins were finally moved back to the main colony recently after nearly a year, but have since displayed behavioral problems with the adults due to the lack of proper socialization.
4. Inability to breed Tiger pair "Teddy" and "Jillian:" Teddy was a male Tiger obtained from San Diego Zoo Safari Park on a breeding recommendation by the SSP to breed with our female, Jillian. Due to the construction work required to repair the Lion house, it was decided that the Tigers should not breed and have cubs at the San Francisco Zoo. Teddy was sent back to San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and Jillian was sent with him due to the urgency to breed the animals before they aged out. Teddy was shipped back and forth unnecessarily, creating a large amount of stress.
5. Orangutan Breeding: The Orangutan SSP has repeatedly questioned the Zoo about breeding the female "Amoi" and taking her off birth control. The current Orangutan exhibit is not suitable for breeding the Orangutans and housing an infant. Why did the Zoo obtain an animal with a breeding recommendation without a proper exhibit designed for breeding?
E. Tanya Peterson cut all education programs in the Zoo. Initially shut down due to the Covid Pandemic in 2020, Ms. Peterson has denied all efforts to bring back the zoo's education programs. These programs were the starting point of many keepers' careers, allowing them to gain invaluable experience and feeding into the workforce for the Zoo field. The programs that were cut:
**Examples
1. Nature Trail: Existed for 40+ years and was an AZA education award winning program.
2.Wildlife Theater
Cutting educational programs like Nature Trail and Wildlife Theater was a major reason for the huge ARC staff exodus-- from management down to education specialists. ARC management offered many alternate proposals for education programs during the pandemic. Every proposal was denied by Ms. Peterson. The zoo lost both revenue and the required educational programming criteria set forth by AZA.
3. Talk on the Wild Side Teen Program
4. Zoomobile: Educated school classrooms and provided a source of income for the zoo. Local schools have continued reaching out after the pandemic, but the zoo has yet to reinstate this program.
5. Wild Nights overnight program: Merchandise sold supported Snow Leopard Conservancy
6. Little Learners: Education program for young children.
7. Internship Programs: Cut until only recent months.
8. Volunteer programs: Volunteers assist animal staff in both the Children's Zoo (CZ) and ARC. Tasks that volunteers and interns completed in both areas was added to the keeper staff workload. Additionally, the Barn Yard in the CZ was formerly open all day, every day prior to the pandemic. Due to Ms. Peterson's failure to re-instate the volunteer programs, the Barn Yard has remained either closed or only open minimal hours for years. Even the assistance of the Interpretive Ambassadors (IAs) has not been enough to restore the Barn Yard hours to prior operating capacity.
F. Financial Mismanagement: Tanya Peterson and Vitus Leung claim that the Zoo is experiencing financial issues while simultaneously giving themselves and other upper management raises and bonuses. If the Zoo is struggling financially as much as they claim, the Zoo's hiring practices should be questioned and reviewed. Ms. Peterson has hired several friends and family for roles that appear unnecessary and were not posted within the Zoo or on the website for other applicants. Many of these hires seem unqualified for their roles as well. Those of concern:
1. Jim Brandt: husband of one of Tanya's friends
2. Ann Hassett: friend of Tanya3. Karen Frazier: friend of Tanya
4. Skylar Dayton: Tanya's boyfriend's relative
5. Avery Peterson: Tanya's daughter: Avery was an intern in Human Resources for one summer, then a paid associate afterwards. This was during a time when the zoo stopped all other intern programs due to the Covid-19 pandemic (the intern programs in CZ, ARC and Education). Additionally, it was an extreme conflict of interest to have the director's relative working in HR.
6. Ignacio Hernandez, director of facilities for the Zoo, hires his family for contractor work in the Zoo. Relatives Juan Hernandez and Daniel Hernandez. Each made over 370k each last year for welding/maintenance when we have a maintenance team.
7. Ellery and Paris: Tanya's friends' daughters: interns for Ops and Marketing/PR
8. Susan Roe: Tanya's step-father's friend. Director of development, salary of $120,000.
G. Unnecessary purchases: Ms. Peterson bought a $350,000 diesel train to replace/use in addition to the zoo's well known steam engine train (The Little Puffer). As a conservation institution this was in poor taste. The diesel train is currently sitting unused, as it cannot run on the zoo's current train tracks. The retrofitting of the tracks would cost upward of 1 million dollars.
H. Inappropriate Conversations: Tanya Peterson has engaged in multiple inappropriate conversations and greatly contributed to creating a toxic work environment at the Zoo.
**Examples of her inappropriate behavior:
1. Disney/Pixar Movie "Turning Red” (2022): At an All Staff meeting in 2022, Ms. Peterson spoke about the film "Turning Red," whose animators based their work on our Red Pandas. Ms. Peterson made a statement about needing to watch the film to make sure there was no "panda porn" in it.
2. Advertising friend's relationship status: During one All Staff meeting, Ms. Peterson discussed a trip she went on and pointed out a woman from one of the photos she displayed. She told the staff, specifically "any single men," that this one was her hot, blonde friend who was single and had a lot of money. This is highly inappropriate behavior for a director at a staff meeting.
3. Commentary on Sexual Harassment (2018): At an All Staff meeting that took place during the period of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing, Ms. Peterson gave her political opinion. Staff felt that it was not her place nor appropriate to include her personal politics. Ms. Peterson continued to talk about Brett Kavanaugh and sexual assault, ad it related to her background as a lawyer. She recounted that she lost a rape case because the victim could not remember which of two streets she was raped on in San Francisco. Ms. Peterson made a comment at the meeting for the women present" if you are going to be raped, remember to look up and know what street you are on." Many staff felt extremely uncomfortable with her comments. Ms. Peterson tied her comments into a sexual harassment issue that was happening on zoo grounds at the time, stating that certain people did not work at the Zoo anymore. Immediately afterwards, she said that if a staff member was being harassed, they should tell someone and it would be kept confidential. Her previous statement was a breach of that confidentiality, as staff should not have been told that those former employees were gone due to sexual harassment allegations. She also recounted in the meeting that she went into corporate law after the rape case and made a lot of money. Staff was shocked by these statements.
5. Ice Cream Social (2022): In 2022, Ms. Peterson threw an ice cream social appreciation event to honor all the hard work by staff after passing the AZA inspection for accreditation. The social was only offered on one day. It should be noted that the majority of the Zoo staff have alternate weekends, and that one day fell on the weekends of many staff. At the social, Ms. Peterson personally approached individual staff members and passed out envelopes of a one- time, $50 bonuses. However, she did not give it to staff who were not present at the social. Some staff were on their weekends, while others were present on grounds, but unable to attend for various reasons-some due to short-staffing and/or animal health issues. Staff who were unable to attend the social asked if they would receive the bonus, and were denied by Ms. Peterson. Her behavior was a slap in the face to staff who worked extremely hard in prepping for the AZA inspection, all of whom took a pay cut during the pandemic by working furloughed days in teams, and receiving no wage increase while inflation rose. Note that Ms. Peterson also made an inappropriate comment to a staff member, stating that the employee was "too skinny and needs to eat ice cream."
6. Eavesdropping on Radios (2014): Ms. Peterson created an unsafe work environment by eavesdropping on the radios provided in 2014. Keepers still do not feel safe to speak freely with radios on in fear of being listened to.
Relevant article: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/sanfrancisco/news/sf-zoo-management- accused-of-illegal-eavesdropping-on-workers/
7. Bashing San Diego Zoo (2024): In the Director's Bulletin sent out on Friday, February 23rd, 2024, Ms. Peterson included a comment regarding the Giant Panda cubs that were at San Francisco Zoo in the 1980s, stating that "under SF Zoo's care, the orphaned cubs gained weight while they had lost nearly 30 pounds at San Diego Zoo." It is highly inappropriate for a zoo director to make a thinly-veiled disparaging comment about another zoo, especially a renowned zoo like San Diego Zoo. We should be building up and encouraging other facilities and building good relations, not tearing others down and further staining the San Francisco Zoo's reputation
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