Hannibal’s Death Is Zoo Chief’s First Crisis : Reaction: Mark Goldstein gets support of Mayor Bradley and other city officials but animal rights activists are angry.

On the job less than three months, Los Angeles Zoo Director Mark Goldstein had a dead elephant on his hands and tears in his eyes.

Goldstein paused to control his emotions as he told 250 employees Friday morning that Hannibal, a 16-year-old African bull elephant, had died after being tranquilized for shipment to a zoo in Mexico. Others in the crowd wept quietly at the loss of one of the zoo’s top attractions.

“I’m not having one of the best days of my life,” Goldstein said later Friday. Of his first crisis since taking over as head of the troubled zoo in January, he added: “I don’t know if there could be anything worse.”

“If there could be, I certainly don’t want to go through it.”

The incident unleashed a deluge of calls of concern and complaints from the public. The outpouring signaled a public relations challenge for the director, the focus of high hopes for improvements at the troubled zoo.

Previous zoo Director Warren Thomas resigned in 1990 amid allegations of mismanagement and financial irregularities. It took nearly a year to find a replacement, with the first choice for the job saying it did not pay enough.

Goldstein, a veterinarian credited with improvements at a zoo in Boston, had been adjusting to his new post in relative obscurity--until Hannibal’s death.

The trouble began the day before as, under Goldstein’s supervision, handlers tranquilized the five-ton elephant before dawn and moved him into a wood and metal shipping crate.

The move began auspiciously as Hannibal moved relatively easily into the $10,000 crate.

But after 1 1/2 hours on its feet, the elephant fell to his knees and could not be raised, despite the use of heavy equipment and a drug to counteract the tranquilizer.

“The whole thing is difficult to accept because of the suddenness,” the zoo director said. “But because of the nature of elephants and the difficulty moving them, problems are not totally unexpected.”

When Hannibal could not be raised, Goldstein consulted the keepers and veterinarians from his own zoo and the Zacango Zoo in Toluca, Mexico, before deciding to leave the elephant to recover overnight. Hannibal was found dead in the crate Friday morning.

“There was no difference of opinion about what we should do,” Goldstein said. “But the ultimate decision and responsibility rests right here, with me.”

City officials and executives with the zoo’s private support organization defended Goldstein and the need to move Hannibal to larger quarters at the Zacango Zoo.

“We know zoo personnel have done everything possible for the animal and we thank them for all their efforts,” said Camron Cooper, chairman of the board of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn. “Mark has kept us fully informed throughout this difficult period.”

Mayor Tom Bradley backed Goldstein as well. “Despite the unfortunate outcome, the mayor is supportive of Dr. Goldstein’s decision to move the elephant to Mexico,” said Vallee Bunting, a spokeswoman for the mayor. “They were prepared to provide good care for the animal there.”

Animal activists were less charitable. They said zoo management should have been forewarned against using tranquilizers because the five-ton elephant had failed to respond to the antidote before, after a nail trimming in 1990.

Goldstein spent the morning helping zoo employees cope with the loss of the elephant, then needed the rest of the day to field questions from the media and answer protests from animal rights groups. Through it all, the 39-year-old zoo director said he felt unruffled by the tumult from outsiders and only concerned with the loss felt by zoo employees and patrons.

“It really hurts,” Goldstein said. “Because we are all in this line of work because we truly care about these animals. We take their health to heart.”

An associate who works closely with Goldstein said the high expectations put on Goldstein made the death of the elephant that much more difficult.

“There is a lot of drama on a day like this,” said the associate, who asked not to be named. “He’s in a new job and that all plays into the anxiety and tension of the situation.”