The San Francisco Zoo is making great strides in our ongoing, productive discussions with our counterparts in China, SF Zoo deputy director Vitus Leung said in a statement. We are confidently on track to meet all obligations, including fundraising goals, to ensure the successful and safe return of these cherished cultural ambassadors to our vibrant city.
The only remaining hurdles seemed the $25 million in financial commitments needed to build the bears their new enclosure and habitat, though more trouble arrived in the form of a blistering assessment of the SF Zoo by a city oversight committee this month that called the zoo dilapidated and unsafe for visitors and animals.
Mayor London Breed promptly traveled to China and lobbied for the pandas, and claimed she'd secured the commitment while still there.
Yet today the Chronicle reports that the zoo has nearly hit its fundraising goal to build that enclosure and habitat for the two pandas. The announcement comes six days before the mayoral election, where there is an emphasis on courting the Chinese American vote.
Collection
[
|
...
]