Despite efforts from activists, a pair of aging elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo will soon receive new homes.
A judge on Thursday denied a motion for a temporary restraining order that would keep the elephants in L.A. before the zoo follows through on a plan to send them to the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma.
During a Los Angeles City Council budget hearing on May 8, L.A. Zoo Director Denise Verret confirmed that the zoo planned to relocate Billy, 40, and Tina, 59, a pair of Asian elephants who have called L.A. home for decades.
“We plan to move the elephants and we plan to move the elephants when the time is ready,” Verret said to the council.
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez then backed Verret, saying it’s her decision and her decision alone.
That decision, which did not factor in input from the public or local government, has been met with concerns from activists who say Billy and Tina should spend the last years of their lives in a sanctuary, not another zoo.
L.A. resident John Kelly announced earlier this month that he is suing the L.A. Zoo, alleging that in Tulsa, “they are going to continue to suffer under the same inhumane conditions, and this is unacceptable,” Melissa Lerner, attorney for Kelly, told KTLA’s Gene Kang.
The lawsuit has gained support from wildlife activists and even the “Goddess of Pop” and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Cher, who backed the efforts on a post to X.
Kelly filed an emergency motion to prevent the transfer, which was denied by a judge in downtown L.A. Thursday.
Lerner on Thursday called on Mayor Karen Bass to prevent the transfer in a last-ditch effort to keep the elephants out of Tulsa.
“Frankly, the judge encouraged the public to reach out to their city council members and to Mayor Bass to tell them that this is unconscionable and unacceptable,” Lerner said. “Mayor Karen Bass can stop this right now. She can resolve this in one phone call.”
Lerner told KTLA that the transfer could happen at any moment.
In a statement to KTLA, the L.A. Zoo said “activist agendas and protests are rightfully not a consideration in decisions that impact animal care.”
“Both the Los Angeles Zoo and the Tulsa Zoo are accredited by the AZA, meaning they meet or exceed the high standards for animal care and wellbeing for all of their animals, including the elephants,” the statement reads in part. “Ultimately, this decision, as is the case with all animal care decisions at the L.A. Zoo, is driven by the unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of the animals.”
