New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: friends of the santa ana zoo

The Santa Ana Zoo shouldn’t be handed to organizations that lack diversity

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Charities, Latinos, Nature, Orange County, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana, Santa Ana Zoo 9 Comments

The financially struggling city will seek proposals early next year for a private entity to take over Santa Ana Zoo operations,” according to the O.C. Register.

Sooner or later the City of Santa Ana is going to have to cut the Santa Ana Zoo loose. “There seems to be consensus that the city-owned zoo should be privatized. But very much in play has been who would run it: The Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo (which made its public pitch last year), the Discovery Science Center (the subject of recent rumor), or some third entity,” according to Frank Mickadeit over at the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Zoo officials showed no remorse in canceling elephant rides

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Nature, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 30 Comments

I finally got around to reading the Santa Ana Zoo’s press release regarding the cancellation of their elephant rides. Wow. Zoo officials showed absolutely no remorse at all in a release that stated that the rides are ending not because of the allegations of abuse of the elephants (see the shocking video above), by the company, Have Trunk Will Travel, that provided the pachyderms,and not because of PETA’s ongoing protest of the rides, but rather because of a “recent safety policy change by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).”

In fact Santa Ana Zoo Director Kent Yamaguchi told the L.A. Times that “I still think elephant rides are an amazing way for people to learn about the animals through hands-on contact.” Bull! They were all about charging ridiculous prices – at least $5 per ride! How many working families in Santa Ana could even afford that in the first place? The elephant rides always were a fundraising scheme for the Santa Ana Zoo. Trying to say that they were about education is simply ridiculous. What the heck can you learn from a two minute five dollar ride on an elephant? Continue reading→

Outsourcing to the Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo may be a bad idea after all

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Art Pedroza Posted in Charities, Fiscal Sustainability, Orange County, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana 32 Comments

A membership renewal drive for the Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo had revenues of $15,279, of which the organization got $2,433, or less than 16 percent,” according to the O.C. Register.

The Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo offered up a lame excuse that the fee was paid to a company that helped them get renewal memberships.

Cathi Decker, the executive director of the Friends of Santa Ana Zoo, said that they use Comnet, a membership telemarketing company that most Association of Zoos and Aquariums organizations use for membership renewals. Continue reading→