Tanya Schevitz,Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
(12-31) 14:10 PST San Francisco - -- The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department is working on plans for a new security barrier for all five big cat grottos at the San Francisco Zoo, and the new design should be in place within 30 days, according to a new spokesman for the zoo.
The security system announced Monday will be designed by C+A Architects, the architect responsible for the zoo's new Grizzly Gulch exhibit and a new hippopotamus exhibit under construction. It will be paid for through funds from a $53 million zoo improvements bond approved by voters in 1997.
"They are in the first stages of drawing something up right now, working with the zoo and animal experts on something that is both safe for the animals and safe for the public," said Sam Singer, a well-known crisis management spokesman. He was brought in by the zoo over the weekend after a tiger escaped on Christmas Day, killing a San Jose teenager and injuring two of his friends.
The zoo, which will reopen Thursday, is desperate to revive its image after bungling the response to the attack. For example, its management gave at least five different descriptions of the grotto's dimensions, finally admitting last week that the wall of a dry moat separating the tigers and visitors was only 12 1/2 feet high - at least 4 feet shorter than national recommendations. Zoo officials have also repeatedly refused to answer questions about the zoo's security, including why visitors were allowed to roam the 100-acre site while the 350-pound Siberian tiger was loose. more at link:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/01/MNPRU7HOG.DTL