SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Zoo’s future will be decided by supervisors over the next month when the decision of whether or not the zoo will become a facility for rescued animals is decided.

The move could cost the zoo its accreditation. On August 8, 2008 the Supervisor’s Committee made the decision to send the predicament of the matter to the full board.

 The move forward is being praised by animal-welfare advocates who have been fighting for an increase in proper attention at the zoo while zoo officials believe that this new move could put a stop to the fundraising abilities of the zoo and in result, bring down the institution.

The new move was proposed by Supervisor Chris Daly after the incident on December 25 of last year when Carlos Souza Jr., a 17-year-old from San Jose, was mauled to death by a tiger that had escaped from the zoo.

Since the incident, the zoo has been under a critical eye and attendance has dropped in increasing numbers. In June of 2008, the Zoological Society’s board of directors forced their zoo’s executive director out.

The move forward will focus on improving the animals' living conditions, but caring for the animals and high care costs come hand in hand.