SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The fatal Christmas Day tiger mauling may not be cause for the city to terminate its management agreement with the non-profit group that has run the San Francisco Zoo for the last 15 years, Supervisor Sean Elsbrnd said Tuesday.
Elsbernd, whose district includes the zoo, was expected Tuesday to schedule Board of Supervisors hearings into the attack that killed a teenage boy and injured two brothers. But, the supervisor said, the terms of San Francisco’s contract with the Zoological Society, up for renewal this year, may not need drastic changes.
“I have not seen any evidence, nor have I seen anyone really point to any direct evidence that links what exactly happened on Christmas night to the management by the zoological society,” Elsbrnd told KCBS.
San Francisco essentially acts as the landlord, owning both the animals and the property but surrendering direct oversight of that property to the Zoological Society.
Criticism of the zoo’s management intensified when it was revealed the height of wall surrounding the big cat grotto was four feet lower than required by the organization that accredits zoos and aquariums, despite earlier statements by zoo officials to the contrary.
“Frankly, the height of the wall was the same height when the city of San Francisco managed it. So I'm not convinced yet the finger needs to be pointed directly at the Zoological Society,” Elsbernd said.
On Friday, the city's Recreation and Park Commission has also scheduled a special hearing on the circumstances surrounding the mauling.
(jro)
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KCBS's Holly Quan reports
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