1. Call to Order and Roll Call
5:35 PM
Present Commissioners, Susanna Russo, Sally Stephens, Pam Hemphill, Geneva Page, Philip Gerrie, Jack Aldrige DVM, Vicki Guldbech – ACC, John Denny - SFPD, Lisa Wayne – Rec & Park
Absent Commissioner, Andrea Brooks
2. General Public Comment
No public comment
3. Approval of Draft Minutes for Jan 13, 2011
No Commission nor public comment on the draft minutes.
Minutes approved unanimously
4. Chairperson’s report and opening remarks
A) Update on Joint Zoo Oversight Committee (JZ)
Comr. Stephens – JZ met in November. Talk about the arrival of the new hippo which has arrived in the past week. It was rescued from the Topeka Zoo due to an unexpected pregnancy bringing the number of hippos to 3. The zoo could only handle two. The hippo was sent by Fedex. The hippo was sent directly and was accompanied at all times by two zoo staff, one from Topeka, the other from SF Zoo. There was also a quarterly financial report by Wayne Redding, the CFO of the zoo. There was a recent audit and there were no problems reported. Asked Mr. Redding of the statements by zoo critics that the zoo can’t pay their bills. He said they pay their vendors within 30 days and have an excellent credit rating. They also have an unused credit line at a bank for unforeseen expenses. The issue came about due to the tiger mauling which brought huge expenses that had not been budgeted. In order to the pay for the redesigned tiger enclosure, they made an agreement with the PUC and Rec & Park to pay those bills over a period of time. They are paying those bills on time as scheduled. To say they cannot pay their bills is not accurate. The budget for the animal division is down by $85,000. Asked specifically about the reason for that. Mr. Redding said it was due to reductions in overtime.
In the December JZOC meeting they give an annual “final disposition results” for animals sent elsewhere, animals that have died, and cause of death. Recent deaths include; one of the polar bears died from heart and liver disease, a spectacled bear died from a neurological disease, Leo, the koala, died from old age. There is a new head veterinarian, Graham Crawford. He gave a report on vet services standards of care. They do annual visual exams, body weight and condition, parasite screening, vaccinations, nutritional evaluations, and at least 4 to 5 physical exams throughout their lifetime - the kind that requires anesthesia. They do an infant, juvenile, young adult, middle-aged adult, and geriatric exam. When there is a health issue they can call in a specialist including human specialists. A gorilla had a GI tract problem. They called in a human specialist from UCSF. They also have cancer specialists both human and animal they can call.
There has been an informal zoo working group that I put together. The group includes zoo staff, zoo critics and Commissioners Gerrie, Hemphill and myself. We have met two times focusing on the issue of birds and aviaries. Two main issues came up. Tethering of the raptors at the Animal Resource Center where they could not escape children running up at them and also could not escape the heat. Dr Spinelli, a non-voting veterinary member of JZ and I met with zoo personnel that run that area. Dr. Spinelli’s observations, while there, was that the birds did not appear stressed, although the visit was during the week not during the busier weekend. If any birds did appear stressed the zoo keepers would take the birds back to their aviary away from the public. All the raptors there were rescued from the wild and cannot go back due to broken or missing wings. Through Fish & Wildlife, they are allowed to keep them for education purposes. Staff is always present when the birds are out. Suggested that instead of waiting for children to run up at the birds be more proactive and tell them not to do so in advance. Another issue was the cost of new full flight aviaries. The zoo’s concern was that it is harder to monitor birds in a full flight aviary. The zoo argued that there are benefits for the birds to be outside. They receive vitamin D from the sun and sunshine promotes preening. Also being outside promotes visual stimulation. The costs for a new aviary are expensive, between $15 & $25 a square foot. Hoping that the working group can be a place for an honest exchange of ideas. Aviaries are not particularly controversial. Real test will be on talks about the hippos, rhinos, and the giant eland. Zoo critics have been more outspoken about their enclosures and care.
Comr. Hemphill – The SFPUC’s waste water recycling plant, that they want to build at the west end of GG Park, has a list of alternate locations. One of which is at the zoo. The base for it could be used as a base to put cages on. Possibly for an aviary. Would be interesting to know more about that option.
Comr. Stephens – Have asked about that issue in the past. Planning is being done without the zoo’s involvement. Although they could possibly use some of the water for irrigation at the zoo.
Comr. Hemphill – The land they want to use at the zoo is City land. Perhaps a deal could be struck to include the cost of new aviaries if it was located there. Doesn’t believe owls get or need vitamin D from the sun.
Comr. Stephens – Believes the owls have boxes that can go into. Doesn’t know if that is enough. The claim is made that they are monitored for stress. If they show any signs, emotionally or physically, they are removed.
Comr. Aldrige – Uncertain of the need of non-mammalian species for sunlight exposure and vitamin D. Vitamin needs vary among different species. Not uncommon for owls to be out in the daytime.
Comr. Gerrie – Most owl species are nocturnal, sleeping during the day in a tree under the sun.
No public comment
5. Unfinished Business
A) Discussion and possible action to send a quarterly report on Commission activities to the Board as required by SF Health Code sec. 41.3
Comr. Stephens – We had talked about sending this at the October meeting. We decided to include the November meeting and send it this month making it a yearly report. From now on we will send it quarterly. Version available is only a draft and open to comments or changes. Had a question about the goat contracts - does the City contract with the goat companies included our suggestions?
Comr. Hemphill – Yes.
Comr. Stephens – This draft of the report is slightly different than the one in October. I put down the results of our official recommendations. One was a resolution passed by the Board another was a recommendation for a soccer field report. Rec & Park is doing an EIR on that. The conditions for keeping goats were included in the contracts. Also Rec & Park will be notifying SPCA, ACC, and us when work is done in the park when removing habitat.
Comr. Hemphill – Was that just a verbal agreement made at the last meeting?
Comr. Stephens – Can add that it was just a verbal agreement made at the Nov. meeting. Attempted to shorten other issues that we had discussed. Key points are in bold so staffers can know what it is about without reading the whole document.
Comr. Hemphill – On the effort to ban the sale of animals in pet stores, you mentioned only banning small animals. It should just say animals in general?
Comr. Russo – Concern with same sentence. The Commission postponed discussion to consider an alternative. Did not feel that that was the case at the time. Never felt Teresa’s Murphy’s proposal was a viable, useful substitute to a ban.
Comr. Hemphill – Also felt it was going to come back in January for discussion. Surprised it was not on the agenda.
Comr. Gerrie – I contacted Teresa Murphy two weeks ago about coming here this month. She was unable due to personal difficulties in her personal life. She does not have the time, energy, nor resources to devote to her program for at least six months. We did need to consider her proposal. Her program had some merit. I wanted to give her time to explore it and see how it would work in the real world.
Comr. Hemphill – Do you see us waiting until she can deal with it again?
Comr. Gerrie –Three of us are working on the other option. We have a new Board now. We need to visit and talk with them to see how politically doable it is.
Comr. Aldrige – To go back to the quarterly report. We tabled voting on a ban last year to see what would come out of educational efforts then revisit it.
Comr. Stephens – We would say that we postponed the discussion to allow….
Comr. Aldrige - For mandatory or voluntary educational opportunities then revisit this issue and see what developed from that.
Comr. Stephens – So the final sentence is, “ The Commission decided to postpone final discussion of a ban to allow time for exploration of voluntary or mandatory education and will revisit the issue later.”
Comr. Hemphill – Would like a timetable as to when to revisit it. Uncomfortable without one.
Comr. Stephens – We cannot discuss the merits of the issue because it wasn’t on the agenda tonight. It just takes a Commissioner to put it forth. For the report, we did decide to postpone the discussion to explore the alternative approach.
Comr. Hemphill – We can assume that is going on in a sub-committee and will hear back soon?
Comr. Stephens – Yes. Repeating the final sentence, ““ The Commission decided to postpone final discussion of a ban to allow time for exploration of voluntary or mandatory education for pet ownership and the issue is likely to come back up at the Commission.” Anything else?
Comr. Hemphill – On the ‘Outside Lands fencing issue’, “At the Commission’s urging, Outside Lands event organizers have provided back stage passes to feral cat feeders, and other volunteers, to provide food and water for animals affected by the presence of the fences. They had delayed completion of the fences. On the ‘High death rate of Western Gulls’, The Commission heard testimony of the unusual high death rate of Western Gulls’ rather than ‘dead birds’ . On the necropsy part, “Necropsies in the past have revealed rodenticide poisoning and oil-soaked feathers. More recent necropsies are less clear.” “One solution mentioned was to enclose the rendering plant on all sides.” Would add, “ With an industrial building or chain-link netting.” And, “Where trucks are unloaded.”
Comr. Page – For the zoo, would like mention of discussion about improving enclosures and the tethering of birds. One improvement - expanding the Baird’s tapir enclosure.
Comr. Stephens – There were discussions on the enclosures of the tapir, the hippo and rhino and giant eland. Also, “the tethering or raptors at the Animal Resource Center.
Comr. Russo – Would like it to say that, “The Commission has continued its concern of conditions at the zoo.” As to the “Senior Animal Behaviorist Trainer position”, nothing has changed to hiring someone?
Comr. Stephens – We recommended it but it went nowhere. We can try again. It might be a better time before the budget issue comes up again.
Comr. Hemphill – On #2 the soccer fields, “On resident wildlife and migratory birds”
5 A) Public Comment
Richard Fong – On the Western Gulls, isn’t that more under the Port’s authority? Shouldn’t there be communication with them? The study of the soccer fields was not an EIR but will be done by Research Associates Sciences. On battery cages recommendation, thought Supervisor Maxwell had something to do with banning sale of eggs bought by the City.
Jaimie – If one includes fish stores, that would add another dozen to the number of stores selling animals in SF.
Chelsea Landwin – Volunteer’s with Teresa Murphy . Wanted to know what the Commission wanted to see from the proposal to assess it. Was there something that could be brought before the proposal is completed?
Public comment closed
Comr. Stephens – We can’t talk about the education nor the pet ban now because it wasn’t agendized for tonight. To be clear about the seagull issue, we did not send a letter out to anyone.
Comr. Aldrige – Makes a motion to send the quarterly report with the agreed-upon additions and clarifications. Seconded
Comr. Gerrie – I was wondering how that is actually done. Is it mailed or just dropped by?
Comr. Stephens – Will call the Clerk of the Board and ask her how she wants it done.
Comrs. vote on the motion. Is carried unanimously.
6. General Public Comment
Richard Fong – Attended Rec & Park meetings about water issues at Sharp Park in Pacifica. Heard analysis on the use of recycled water there. Cited CEQA findings for monitoring and mitigation of the eggs of the red-legged frog and how to reduce salinity in their water.
Lisa Vittori – EIR is due out soon for dog policy for GGNRA lands. Would be good for this Commission to work on collaborative approaches. If dogs are limited on GGNRA lands that will have more impact on City parks. Would like it to be put on the agenda. It will need airing. Should include tethering at the zoo in the quarterly report.
Public comment closed
7 & 8 Calendar items and task allotments
Comr. Russo – Would like to agendize the pet ban issue. Afraid it will be tabled indefinitely.
9. Adjournment 6:20 PM
Respectfully submitted by Philip Gerrie
Commission Secretary
