The longtime chief of the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens announced her retirement this week, just days after Mayor Daniel Lurie called for her departure.
Tanya Peterson told the San Francisco Zoological Society board’s executive committee that she will be retiring Aug. 1.
“She thanked the board and employees and animals at the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens, saying it has been an honor to serve the loyal constituents of this amazing community,” according to a statement from spokesperson Sam Singer.
“She made the decision on her own because she believed it was the right thing to do on behalf of the institution,” Singer said.
Hired in 2008, Peterson and the zoo had come under fire recently in the wake of a report detailing animal welfare and staff safety concerns.
“Under new, stable leadership, the San Francisco Zoo has the opportunity to reach new heights. …” Mayor Daniel Lurie
And while a recent inspection by the United States Department of Agriculture found the zoo was compliant with federal animal welfare regulations, the animal rights groups In Defense of Animals, SF Zoo Watch and Panda Voices have repeatedly called for Peterson’s ouster “following year of negligence, mismanagement, preventable animal deaths, obstructing accountability, and misuse of public resources.”
One of Peterson’s most visible recent efforts was to champion the zoo’s possible acquisition of a pair of giant pandas from China by April 2026 — a plan Lurie signaled would move forward without her.
“Under new, stable leadership, the San Francisco Zoo has the opportunity to reach new heights. I want to thank Tanya Peterson for her service to the zoo and our city,” Lurie said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the board and the new leadership to improve our zoo and fulfill the rare and exciting opportunity to bring pandas to our city.”