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The Salisbury Years

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 19, 2008

Updated: 12/19/2008 12:33 am

February 1987: Charles "Lex" Salisbury is named supervisor of the Lowry Park Zoo. He is promoted to curator of animals a few months later.

March 1988: The zoo reopens after the first phase of a multimillion dollar renovation.

July 1993: An Asian elephant named Tillie attacks and kills Charlotte Torre, one of its handlers. The zoo gets rid of Tillie and its other elephant.

June 1994: Salisbury is made the zoo's executive director, replacing Greg Wilson, who served for 13 months.

December 1996: The zoo announces its attendance in the 1995-96 season was a record 630,000, giving it 100,000 more visitors in that period than the Miami Metrozoo.

July 1998: Salisbury leads educational trips to Bali, Komodo Island, Camp Leakey and Borneo.

March 1999: Salisbury offers to turn Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg into a satellite zoo in an effort to save the landmark, but the estimated cost is too high.

August 2006: Enshala, a Sumatran tiger, escapes from an enclosure at the park when a rookie zookeeper fails to secure a latch. Salisbury shoots the tiger to death.

April 2008: Fifteen patas monkeys escape from Salisbury's side business, the exotic animal park Safari Wild in Polk County.

June: After a Tampa Tribune investigation, Lowry Park's six-member executive committee votes to sever its agreement of cooperation with Safari Wild.

August: The zoo's board calls for an independent audit of Salisbury's dealings with Safari Wild to determine whether zoo money was used for the park.

September: A Tribune investigation reveals that Lowry Park Zoo paid for a horse barn and a primate building at Safari Wild and for fencing around the zoo's horses.

October: The Tribune discovers more than 200 animal trades between Lowry Park Zoo, Safari Wild and Salisbury, who has an exotic-animal ranch at his Dade City home.

November: Water managers say Safari Wild failed to obtain permits before constructing buildings, putting up fences and dredging land.

Dec. 12: Mayor Pam Iorio demands Salisbury be fired after a city audit accuses him of using zoo animals, employees and equipment for personal gain.

Dec. 18: Salisbury, after appearing before the zoo board, resigns without comment. The board says it "is grateful to Mr. Salisbury for his years of dedicated service."

Research by Buddy Jaudon and Michael Messano

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