TJP
THE JETHRO PROJECT
O R G A N I Z I N G F O R E F F I C I E N T O U T P U T
Zoos Need Greater Oversight
Byron A. Ellis
December 28, 2007
On Christmas day a 300-pound Siberian tiger, Tatiana, escaped from the San Francisco Zoo killing one and mauling two individuals. The San Francisco officials have not been able to explain the escape.
Apparently, they were not aware of the true dimensions of the tiger enclosure. And, by implication, they did not have procedures in place to check the enclosure dimensions.
The originally dimensional claims on the tiger’s enclosure were erroneous. Moreover, the tiger did not leave through an open door; she either leaped or climbed the wall.
Zoo officials now claim that the height of the wall was less than the original claim and below industry standards, indicating that they were not aware of critical safety information or national zoo safety standards.
On Thursday, December 27, the director of the zoo acknowledged that the height of the wall was merely 12-1/2 high.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is America’s leading accrediting organization for zoos and aquariums. AZA indicates that walls around tigers’ exhibits should be at least 16 feet 4 inches high. But, for 70 years the wall did not meet the recommended safety height.
Tatiana is the same Siberian tiger that injured a zookeeper last December. A subsequent investigation by the California Division of Occupation Safety and Health faulted the zoo for the incident.
What was the San Francisco Zoo safety regime? On the surface, it appears that a rigorous and documented safety regime was not in place. Moreover, that the San Francisco Zoo was not inspecting existing assets to determine if they were within industry standards.
From this incident, and other incidents that have occurred in California, it appears that there is a lack of rigorous zoo industry oversight.
Thus, a national safety ranking of zoos would provide an incentive for self-policing and improvements in zoo managerial processes, since zoos that are unsafe would have less visitors and lower entry fees.
[ Home | Comments | Search | Post ]
POST COMMENT
