CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Zoo May Have to Repay State Funds

The San Diego Zoological Society could be forced to refund more than $500,000 to the state because it cannot account for hundreds of hours of training it was supposed to give zookeepers under a state-sponsored program, according to an audit released Friday. The audit, conducted for the state’s Employment Training Panel, also found that the zoo submitted time sheets that showed 27 employees performed on-the-job training exercises when they were actually on vacation or sick leave. Zoo officials blame the record-keeping discrepancies on errors made by the zookeepers while filling out forms for the program.