City Watch

Jumbo delay

Jan 20, 2010

Earlier this month, In Defense of Animals, a non-profit animal welfare organization, ranked the Honolulu Zoo third-worst in the nation for elephants.

“Everything about the zoo’s antiquated elephant exhibit is wrong,” the organization posted on its Web site. “It crams two of the world’s largest land mammals into a mere 6,000 square feet… and it’s taken more than 10 years to renovate the exhibit–which still is not done and would provide not even an acre of space.”

City officials last week sent a strongly-worded rebuttal, including an endorsement from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (“AZA can assure you that this institution meets the highest standards of animal care and welfare,” wrote AZA Executive Director Kristin Vehrs).

“The Honolulu Zoo is committed to completing our new elephant exhibit and providing our elephants with the best possible care,” the statement read. “The Honolulu Zoo–Asian Tropical Forest Elephant Exhibit is anticipated to go out to bid in mid-April of this year. The consultant will be submitting a pre-final set of plans to the City by the first week of February 2010.”

The statement came more than a year after Enterprise Services Director Sid Quintal told the Weekly that construction on the $6.7 million upgrade would start in the summer of 2009 and be completed in the fall of 2010.

WHO’S RESPONSIBLE: Sid Quintal, City Enterprise Services Director, 768-5415, [email: squintal]

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