Public outrage is boiling over at the Oregon Zoo and Metro, the regional agency in charge of the zoo, after abandoning long-promised plans for an off-site elephant preserve. During the push for the 2008 bond measure, the zoo actively promoted the sanctuary as a centerpiece of its campaign, a pledge that helped secure overwhelming voter approval, even winning over animal rights groups traditionally critical of the zoo. Shortly after this interview with Zoo Director Kim Smith aired, she was fired.