The sting of Wishbone's death is still painful. It hurts even more when I see stuff like this. When I say stuff" I directly mean the hard proof of money being spent to create new areas in the Zoo, when Animals who live there, especially Wishbone, are living in exhibits that could use upgrading. A majority of the Animals have decent homes, but there are some that need upgrading, and in Wishbone's case, could have used upgrading decades ago and everyday since then.
The Zoo Director and Management Staff do not fundraise for upgrading, they fundraise for new areas, new Animals. I have written in prior posts here and on my Wishbone blog (projectgetwishbonegrass.blogspot.com) about the Zoo's Master Plan that includes a new North American area that will bring in new Animals and about the new Playgrounds for humans. So, new Animals and humans, get bright , shiny, new and modern areas, while current Animals continue to live status quo.
I personally can not imagine being someone of authority in the Zoological Society and being able to sleep at night knowing I was forging ahead with plans that did not include helping the Animals that already live there, before anything else. Leaving an Animal like Wishbone, (with known back issues) living exclusively on concrete, pounding his bones with every step he takes, is unconscionable at the very least. ... Anyone who thinks this is okay, does not care about Animals and has no business running a Zoo or visiting one.
So, here we are, two weeks after the death of an Animal that was forced to live exclusively on concrete, I am force fed this display of the new children's Playground, newly on display in the Lion House. The sight of it disgusts me. There is absolutely no need for money to be spent this way. The Playground already there is sufficient. There is enough playground for the amount of playing that should be done at the Zoo. This is an Animal Park, not Great America. AND the ironic thing is that there is an artic looking area that is more natural than the Polar Bears actual living space!
The current playground. Its sufficient. Its a playground!
As well there is a huge grassy area behind it.
More grass than an Animal living there has, that's for sure!
I am really irked by the new playground models. This is a zoo that claims to be dedicated to educating people and connecting with wildlife and they are more interested in becoming Great America, Magic Mtn, etc. It's too much money to spend when they have a playground. Why can't the animal grottos be updated first? I saw this polar playground and thought, wow, Ulu and Pike would love that. Not only is the playground idea not needed...it will create more noise for the animals to have to listen to. It will also, I'm afraid, bring in a bad element to the zoo. These kinds of things bring in a lot of troublemakers. Also, on free day when the troublemakers show in in mass...there will be more when this playground is completed. Fix the animals areas up, give them grass beneath ALL their feet, give them ALL natural surroundings... If there is a little cash left over, just tweak the existing playground. The zoo has definately fallen off their Mission Statement. It's very disgusting. Leave the zoo for people to see animals and let Marine World, Great America and Disneyland take care of the amusement in play. Another thought, the zoo doesnt have enough trained security, they'll need more when this disaster becomes a reality.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you say. I will answer WHY? the Animal grotto's don't get upgrades first. Foremost because the mentality of those with authority, the San Francisco Zoo Director, The San Francisco Zoological Society Board, the San Francisco Park and Recreation, the City of San Francisco, THEY do not see the value in it. When I say value I most certainly do mean monetary. They think that by building new areas and bringing in more Animals before taking care "at home" they will bring in more people. I disagree. I hear comments about how enclosures are "depressing and outdated." Some comments valid, some made by people who just want to complain. Regardless, there are upgrades to be made and my crusade for Wishbone to live on a natural surface illustrates that more than anything. Many of the Animal living spaces are fine, but others aren't. Nothing new should be done until all the Animal living spaces are as good as they can be, for the current "space". I have always stressed upgrading over completely new areas. That is where you will get more for your buck. That said, I repeat Why is fundraising not done for this goal specifically? WHY? Because all the above mentioned bodies of authority don't care to. That's not their goal. ... In connection with your comment about extra noise. The Zoo Management doesn't care. They continually have the Chinese New Year event in the playfield which borders the backside of the Meerkat and Prairie Dog exhibits, when they were told four years ago that the sound of the Lion Dancer portion of the event frightened the Animals. As so they were told such about how it affected the Chimps. The event still goes on as is, regardless of how it affects the Animals. The Staff is not creative enough to find other ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year without bringing loud noises into the living environment of Animals. The Zoo should be a place of peace. The "Quiet Zones" of the Lion House, should extend to the whole Zoo. In addition to this new playground, there is also a play area planned to go adjacent to the new Sqirrel Monkey exhibit in construction outside the Tropical Aviary. Why its necessary to put a play area here as well, which will hug the Sea Lion exhibit, is beyond me. But alot of stuff the Zoo does is beyond me otherwise I wouldn't have anything to write about.
ReplyDeleteYes, a new playground is needed. It's a dump (missing swings, dated, rusted and dangerous slides and swings)! It hasn't changed since I went there as a kid 30+ years ago. Get over it.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous- Thank you for your comment. I approved your comment because I think hearing both sides of the issue are valid, I have two things to say. First, I don't believe anyone who truly loves Animals would choose to have money spent on a playground. This isn't a park for Humans, its a Park for Animals and their care and homes should be primary and that should be the priority for those who visit the Zoo. There are several other play areas within the Zoo in addition to the "swings" and such. As well, many playgrounds in GGPark. Also, adding "Get over it" as your last sentence, doesn't make you sound like someone who is very respectful, so I can see where you wouldn't have the Animals best interest at heart.
ReplyDeleteIt's a zoo and not a carnival, playground, amusement park... so anon... upgrading the swings and slide would be fine but millions doesnt need to be spent on several playgrounds at the zoo when the animal encloses need to be upgraded and some havent seen upgrades in many decades. The zoo is over 80 yrs old now. I say, if you want your kids to play and not learn about animals, go to six flags or great america.
ReplyDeleteThe San Francisco Zoo is building that ridiculous playground because a donor funded it with the requirement that the money ONLY go towards the construction of a ridiculous playground. Believe it or not, the people who work in zoos really do love animals, they don't just make careless arbitrary decisions. And the zoo is working on redoing the old exhibits, like they have already with grizzly gulch and the new(ish) savannah exhibit, but its really difficult for them to raise the money necessary for large scale renovations when people like you keep inventing bad press that stops people from supporting the zoo. The San Francisco Zoo is doing its best, even in the face of people like you making their jobs more difficult.
ReplyDelete@Lee- Thank you for your comment. I didn't realize til this most recent comment that I never replied to yours. Not much more to add as you pretty much echo my feelings.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous- Thank you for your comment. Much like the other Anon comment, I have no problem posting comments that do not support how I feel. Sure, my feelings are the catalyst for my posts, but I think I also present logical information to support them. Since you do not note what your position is in regards to the Zoo (Employee, Member, Visitor or none of the above), I have to assume you are not an Employee and therefore at the most, do not have much experience and information detailing an array of issues within the Zoo and its Management. If you did, your comments would not read as they do. That said, Yes, the funding for the Playground. That I understand. In regards to that, my issue is that Zoo Management, lead by Director Peterson, does not appear to fund raise for things that are actually needed. That is obvious as yet another deep pocket donor has recently stepped forward and donated even more money for this "ridiculous" Playground. Do you think that at anytime the Director said, Hey, we have sufficent funds for this project, but we could really use,..." No is the answer to that. If this was the way fundraising went, our Polars would not still be living half their lives on concrete, barriers would be secure so that Animals are safe from stupid Human behavior, Animals would have more Enrichment, AND the Zoo would have an outdoor lighting system, so if another Emergency happens in the dark the Security Staff can see what the hell is going on. So, please don't tell me I'm "inventing" bad press. I'm posting reality baby, and if you don't like it then you are a coward and afraid to take off your rose colored glasses. Two things I am not. AND I never said there weren't Staff in the Zoo (or other Zoo's) that don't love the Animals, but I sure do know that at the San Francisco Zoo, the only Staffers who do care are the Keepers. No one else there does a damn thing for the Animals. No one speaks up for them. There are three kinds of people associated with the Zoo in a non-visitor role. The Keepers, who are afraid of losing there jobs, those who just don't care and the those don't even have the sense to notice anything of the things I point out. The San Francisco Zoo is not doing their best. If you think building a Playground and noting the Savannah and Grizzly Gulch, areas that were built over Ten and Five Years ago are things to boast about you don't know anything about the current state of the Zoo. You also haven't read any other posts I've made on any of my blogs. You can start with http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2012/11/breaching-barriers-at-san-francisco-zoo.html
ReplyDeleteCome on folks, the kid's playground was here first (going back to the Fleishhacker days) and it was sorely in need of a make over. It's been neglected for 20 years rusted swings, missing slide and other broken parts are really not safe. I'm also glad to see that zoo put some design effort into the area that was once the main entrance to the zoo and has been nearly forgotten. I also think the rest of zoo seems to making strides to expand and improve the animal enclosures. It's not perfect, but having been going to this zoo on and off for 45+ years I continue to see modest improvements.
ReplyDeleteThe old playground had some of the best swings in all of SF. The new playground models look great but I wonder about the upkeep. Trust me, the playground in 20 years will look nothing like it does in the models. Where as the old playgound would have looked brand new with a few coats of paint.
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