Michael Meadows was incorrectly identified in a July 29 Metro article as director of the Dallas Zoo. He is president and chief executive of the Dallas Zoological Society, which supports the zoo.
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Smithsonian Names New Zoo Director
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Meadows said that Berry has "increased the amount of grantmaking and increased the budget considerably" since arriving in 2000 and that he has been "deft in his handling of elected officials," who also will control much of the zoo's funding.
Smithsonian officials said they hope that Berry's appointment, coupled with the happy news of recent cheetah and giant panda births, will solidify a turnaround in the zoo's image. The zoo has suffered a string of bad publicity over animal deaths, including those of two endangered red pandas who died in 2003 after ingesting rat poison buried in their yard. The zoo later agreed to give the D.C. government more authority over pesticide use on its grounds.
In addition to being criticized by the National Academy of Sciences panel, the zoo received a provisional one-year accreditation in 2003 before having its full accreditation restored last year. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which had been notifying the zoo in advance of its inspections, began to conduct surprise visits, as it does with other zoos.
The National Zoo employs 300 people and cares for 2,400 animals, many of them rare or endangered. Nearly 2 million people visit the Rock Creek Park facility annually.
The zoo also has an extensive conservation science program, much of it based in Front Royal. The zoo's operating budget of nearly $40 million includes about $17 million in federal funding.
Ginette Hemley, managing vice president of conservation at the World Wildlife Fund who worked with Berry on save-the-tiger issues, said he will be a good choice for the zoo.
"He is likable and smart and knows how to navigate both Washington and international issues," Hemley said.
Hoyer, in a statement, called Berry "one of the most extraordinarily capable individuals I have known."
"I've been to the zoo every year since I've been alive," said Berry, who grew up in Montgomery County and lives in Northwest Washington. "It's the place that made me believe in conservation and the importance of it. Seeing animals, looking into their eyes, smelling them allows you to identify with the urgency and need for conservation."
Staff researcher Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.
