S.F. Zoo director not sure pandas will come — major donor won’t give anymore

The changing political landscape nationally and locally has left the director of the San Francisco Zoo unsure about whether she can pull off her plans to host a pair of giant pandas from China.  

Tanya Peterson, the embattled CEO and executive director of the nonprofit that runs the zoo, the San Francisco Zoological Society, stressed in an interview with the Chronicle this week that the panda plans were tentative and that she would need the support of the new mayor, Daniel Lurie. Further complicating her vision is the victory of Donald Trump, whose relationship with China is unsettled. And she also faces opposition from one of the zoo’s major donors, who told the Chronicle this week he would no longer contribute to the institution because he disagrees with spending $25 million on the panda project.

“I haven’t signed the panda agreement,” Peterson said. “If the new mayor is not supportive or the new president isn’t supportive, there’s maybe signs that we move elsewhere.”

Peterson sat down for her first interview with the Chronicle since troubles began brewing at the zoo last spring. In addition to discussing the panda project, she addressed concerns raised by real estate developer John McNellis, who said he and his wife would not donate to the zoo until it changes its priorities.

“Pursuing pandas while the zoo is in its worst shape ever is a serious mistake,” McNellis wrote in a scathing email to the Chronicle. “The money that it would cost to grandly house and rent pandas from China could be far better spent on at last renovating the zoo, repaving its cracked and failing roads, replacing its spent landscaping (and) rehabilitating its existing exhibits.”

Peterson has been working on bringing giant pandas to the zoo for a decade, an initiative she hoped would be celebrated by the city’s Chinese American community, bring in new donors and help preserve the endangered species. Her hopes got closer to reality when former Mayor London Breed traveled to China in April and inked a tentative agreement to accept the bears and came home touting what a boost pandas would be to the economy. But Breed lost her reelection bid, and Trump won.

The panda plans have been met with mixed reactions. Some are excited by their potential to boost tourism, while critics fear that the high-profile animals will take away resources and attention from other more pressing issues at the zoo. Those include aging facilities that have raised concerns about worker and animal safety.

Last month, Lurie told the Chronicle he was “a big supporter” of pandas but that he was still “assessing what it will take to realize this opportunity” in a statement.

Peterson said pursuing pandas and fixing the zoo are not mutually exclusive.

Peterson previously indicated to the Chronicle that the zoo had close to $20 million in commitments it needed from private donors to build an enclosure for the pandas.

It’s unclear whether that is still accurate.

In her interview, Peterson did not confirm an exact amount she had raised for the pandas, but said she is working with around a dozen major private donors as well as corporate sponsors to fund both the panda project and other endeavors. She declined to name the donors and said she had not accepted money yet for the project because the deal with China is not yet final.

It is expected to cost the zoo $8 million to renovate an exhibit for the pandas that is currently used to house lions, $10 million in fees to China and $7 million to care for the animals over the next decade, according to an internal draft document obtained by the Chronicle.

Peterson is also seeking to raise about $3 million each for four other projects: a new jaguar habitat, a new lion exhibit, the ongoing expansion of a center for animals from Madagascar, and upgrades to the zoo’s grounds and gardens.

“I’ve been trying to say that there’s a larger vision here,” Peterson said.

Peterson’s nonprofit relies heavily on private donors to upgrade its facilities, getting just $4 million a year from the city to manage the publicly owned zoo.

McNellis and his wife, Michele, have donated to the zoo for more than 20 years, he said.

In its 2017 annual report, the zoo recognized the couple for contributing $50,000 to $99,999 and for funding a video exhibit on the threat poachers pose to elephants.

McNellis has been critical of zoo leadership in the past. He previously called the zoo “dilapidated,” and in his most recent email accused the zoo’s leaders and board of directors of ignoring the worsening conditions of its facilities — claims Peterson disputed.

The zoo’s board chair, Melinda Dunn, did not respond to requests to comment.

Peterson said the zoo has made $40 million in capital improvements since she took the helm in 2008, including the construction of a new snow leopard exhibit. This week, the zoo’s license with the U.S. Department of Agriculture was renewed after it passed an inspection of its animal facilities.

But Peterson also acknowledged that some visitor amenities could use updates, and that the zoo’s front entrance at the Great Highway is not looking its best — which she attributed to the city doing construction work in the area.

Peterson said it’s difficult to keep up with ongoing repairs on the 95-year-old, 100-acre outdoor facility constantly hit by storms and sea air at its location near the beach.

“We’re like the Golden Gate Bridge,” Peterson said. “As soon as you paint it from one side, you got to come back and start again.”

Even if she is unsuccessful in her bid to bring pandas to the city, Peterson said her work would still be worth it.  

“At the end of the day, (if) I’ve just created more awareness for these animals, and I got bruised up in the process — well, it was worth it,” she said. “As Jane Goodall told me, if you think saving a species is going to be easy, you’re the wrong woman for the job.”

Reach Michael Barba: michael.barba@sfchronicle.com. Reach Tara Duggan: tduggan@sfchronicle.com; X: @taraduggan