Okay, that's more than a little unfair: although Metro's Oregon Zoo has a unionized workforce, that's not why you'll be seeing the Zoo in the news early next month. What you'll see is a careful side-stepping of managerial incompetence as they attempt to spin the fact that they've screwed up yet again, resulting in the unfortunate decision to euthanize another megaherbivore.
You won't read, nor hear, that Metro Oregon Zoo has systematically chased out virtually all experienced animal care staff while embarking upon a hiring spree of "managers". Nor will you read or hear that daily animal care has been largely turned over to temporary workers and other inexperienced staff - many of whom much prefer to socialize among themselves as much as possible.
No, what you'll get is the solemn intonation that you always get: "He was like family", "It was in his best interest".
Another endangered animal is euthanized and dismembered, and they'll trot out the same old lines - hoping you won't remember when they said the same things two months ago.
They didn't have this sort of problem 20 years ago, when they had a couple of managers and a staff of experienced animal care professionals. You'd almost think they took a wrong turn, somewhere along the line.
