Zoo boss faces sexism storm

Published on 22/01/2013 00:00

THE head of one of the most famous zoos in the world is fighting to keep his job after referring to female employees in an internal memo as “0,1” – the zoo’s code for breeding mares.

Bernhard Blaskewitz, 58, head of Berlin Zoo, which enjoyed global celebrity through the stardom of polar bear Knut, said he was merely “being polite”. But critics say he did not use the internal shorthand “1,0” used to denote male species at the zoo.

Reports said the “0,1” prefix was put in front of the names of female staff. The zoo’s advisory board is meeting this week to consider whether to sack him for gross misconduct.