How much trust should we place in the San Francisco Zoo?

Every year since we started having kids, Spring has meant time to start visiting the San Francisco Zoo. Even though their adopt an animal program really chaps my hide, we still really enjoy going. We're members and we usually go on the monthly Member Day so we can get in early. We like to get our free ride on the carousel, hit the train before the crowds come out, and have an early lunch before it gets too crowded and hot. I know what we need to do when, so we get in and out with few child or adult meltdowns. I really thought I had our zoo trips all scoped out, but then last Christmas day everything changed.

I never really thought about it much before, but I put a lot of trust in the people running the SF Zoo. I trust that they have considered the possibility of an animal wanting to get loose, and have done everything they can to make sure that doesn't happen. But after the tiger attack last Christmas day, I am afraid to bring my family to the zoo.

I'm not likely to look nonchalantly at the lions without wondering if given the proper motivation they would be able to casually leap that now-tiny-looking moat. Rhinos are strong buggers -- is one of them going to decide to just power themselves out of their pond and see what life is like on the other side of the meager wall? And those enormous gorillas are terrifying at a distance. What if one of them got out?

I used to think that the only internal conflict involved in taking my kids to the zoo was the one about caging animals for our own amusement. That has now completely taken second place to my fear of being eaten by the exhibits.

So are you going to stop going to the SF Zoo? Will you buy body armor for your kids and just go anyway? Am I completely overreacting and I should just get over myself and bring my bait, um I mean my family to the zoo? My kids were just asking when we were going to the zoo again, and I really want to know what everyone else around here is thinking.

Original Silicon Valley Moms Blog post.

Erika also blogs at The Plain Jane Mom Blog.