Popular Safari Park Stripped Of Accreditation

SANTA ROSA (AP) — A popular wildlife preserve in the San Francisco Bay Area has been stripped of accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums over concerns about the facility's care for animals.

The association announced this week that it would deny its "gold standard" accreditation to Santa Rosa's Safari West. The association's commission noted "serious concerns with veterinary practices and care, and acquisition and disposition of animals."

Safari West is appealing the decision.

Executive director Keo Hornbostel says its operations remain largely unchanged in the decades since it first received accreditation. Hornbostel maintains there has been no compromising of vet care.

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