(L-R) San Francisco Animal Keepers Corey Hallman, Amy Corso and Kelly Blakemore. (Leah Millis/The Chronicle)
San Francisco Zoo Teamsters have had to go public over safety issues for the second time this year – this time in the wake of the tragic death of 16-month-old gorilla Kabibe. After the gorilla was fatally crushed by an electric door on November 7, top management attempted to place blame on the keeper involved. However, documents show that top management knew of safety concerns in the gorilla enclosure for years.
In a staggering show of solidarity and courage, Teamsters 856 members Kelly Blakemore, Cheyenne Coles, Amy Corso, Corey Hallman, and Dayna Sherwood, who all work as animal keepers in the primate section at the zoo, spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle this week regarding their repeated attempts to make a safer environment for the animals, workers and visitors.
Read the San Francisco Chronicle article here.