Supervisors take up ordinance to prioritize animal welfare at San Francisco Zoo; oversight committee proposed

San Francisco’s Rules Committee spent the morning and afternoon debating an ordinance that would shift the San Francisco Zoo’s stated mission toward a rescue‑focused model and set up a board‑appointed Zoo Animal Welfare Oversight Advisory Committee to advise the Board of Supervisors on animal welfare priorities. The sponsor framed the measure as a policy response to long‑standing concerns about exhibit conditions and governance following a fatal incident at the zoo last December.

The committee heard hours of testimony from veterinarians, zoo staff, docents, sanctuary operators and animal‑welfare advocates. Andrea Brooks, vice chair of the city’s Animal Control and Welfare Commission, summarized that commission’s review and said its recommendation rests on three points: make animal welfare the spending priority at the zoo;…