Thank you for signing, sharing and supporting!  We need your help now more than before. Our updates after the Zoo's statement to the public:

1.    We agree with one piece of the Board’s statement: “Where we faltered and let down our community and the Zoo is in our lack of communication.”
Austin Zoo has always had trouble with communication between leadership and each department. There are rarely all staff meetings and in those rare instances, staff are typically given less than an hour notice with no concern for the individuals that are not scheduled that day. Recently, this was the case to address this story to us. However, many of us left with lingering questions and fear for our jobs if we asked specific questions. We feel that we are constantly suppressed or censored and provided with no detailed information. We felt that we were being read a PR statement just like the Zoo’s Facebook page and Elizabeth Findell’s recent update. The information provided to us was much the same.

2.    We tried fixing this internally to no avail. Zookeepers spent months compiling information detailing the shortcomings of animal care.  We provided each board member with a professionally edited 54-page document explaining many of our findings as well as presenting solutions similar to those found in this petition. We had interviews with Board members. We presented photos and videos with specific instances in a special Board meeting.
Unfortunately, the investigation that took place was the Board questioning less than five zookeepers and a select few from other departments. The Board came out to look at a few animals we brought to their attention. We are thankful that those animals were humanely euthanized proceeding the Board visits. However, no end-of-life protocol was formalized nor shared with staff. The ostrich habitat has been completed to pair our four male ostriches. However, that was only made a priority after an OSHA complaint was received – not from the zookeepers (with four-year science degrees and years of animal care experience) asking for help. The supposed-to-be independent and private committee communication to investigate the conflict-of-interest at hand was then shared by one member of the committee to the Executive Director/Board President and therefore, put more jobs at stake for those of us that spoke out.

3.    We hope this statement is true that an independent investigation is underway to investigate the problems presented in the story and our letter, “Many other issues remain under deeper review as part of an ongoing outside investigation”.

4.    Austin Zoo’s Board statement reads: “As a pledge to our supporters, the board of directors will continue to examine governance and processes in all areas of the Zoo even after the outside investigation is completed.”
We are forced to disagree because we have previously heard similar promises with no follow through. We are pleading with you to implement the reasonable changes in the petition – all of them are standard business practices to avoid conflict of interest. How are we to feel confident that anything will change when the primary problems are because (1) the same individual is serving as a voting member of the Board as well as the Executive Director, (2) a good friend of the Executive Director and a staff member has her son as another voting member of the Board, and (3) yet another of the Board is on record with inaccurate financial numbers and negative comments towards the staff that operates the non-profit on a daily basis? Not to mention that the Board of Directors for Austin Zoological Society has the same members of Austin Zoo.

We want to be very clear that we, the zookeepers, love our zoo and the animals that make it so special. We did not want the negative publicity we knew would accompany going public. We expected our board of directors to fix these problems previously. We thought they would want to fix these problems. We were shocked and discouraged beyond explanation that the board chose to dismiss our concerns. We were left with no other choice than to ask for help from the public. We are all ready and prepared to put in the hard work that it will take to earn the public’s trust, love and support of Austin Zoo, but we need your help.

We need your help to present this petition to the Board of Directors at Austin Zoo. We need your help to share this petition and this cause with everyone you know. Thank you very much for all the support and effort you are putting in to help us #RebuildAusitinZoo and hold the Board accountable.

Would you like to mail a letter to the Board? 
We have set up a post office box to forward all mail to each of the board members. You can mail to P.O. Box 941, Dripping Springs, TX 78620.