SF Zoo Watch

San Francisco Zoo Withholds Full AZA Report, Releases Summary of Troubling Zoo Findings

Summary of 2022 AZA accreditation review reveals a zoo defined by secrecy, decaying infrastructure, and leadership failures — and a Zoo still unwilling…

Oct 24

Oscar the Gorilla’s Death Was Preventable. The SF Zoo’s Response? Cocktails

Eight months after Oscar’s preventable death, the San Francisco Zoo is hosting a gala to celebrate his replacement, Cecil.

Oct 16

Remembering Jane Goodall and Reimagining SF Zoo’s Future

Jane’s legacy calls us to reimagine the SF Zoo.

Oct 1

September 2025

JOIN US LIVE TODAY: The Future of the San Francisco Zoo

A community conversation on compassion, safety, and real solutions

Sep 29

August 2025

Advocates Urge SF Zoo to Say No to Pandas

Why an international panda advocacy group urged the city to think twice.

Aug 21

July 2025

The Silent Death of Lamont: SF Zoo’s Jaguar Shame

How a 13-year-old jaguar disappeared, and why the zoo said nothing

Jul 30

Rethinking Zoos: Welfare, Design, and the Next Century

David Hancock’s “Zoos 2112” laid out a radical blueprint that still shapes the debate on welfare, biodiversity, and relevance today.

Jul 21

23:43

SF Zoo Treats Gorillas Like Inventory, Not Individuals

Why Moving Cecil the Gorilla to SF Zoo Is a Mistake

Jul 6

Tanya Peterson Resigns—Time to Rescue the SF Zoo

Peterson’s Exit Is Just the First Step. Now It’s Time to Clean House.

Jul 2

June 2025

San Francisco Zoo is Failing Its Primates

In a city of progress, mandrills, chimps, gorillas, and orangutans remain trapped in the past.

Jun 28

The Future of Zoos: More Truth, Less Show

How public opinion, animal welfare, and zoo practices are colliding

Jun 18

16:31

SF Zoo Called Out—Again

After Missed Deadline and Appeal from SF Zoo Watch, Phil Ginsburg Again Presses SF Zoo

Jun 12