The whereabouts of Billy and Tina, a pair of Asian elephants long housed at the Los Angeles Zoo, are unclear on Wednesday after a report they had been secretly removed and shipped to another zoo — but neither zoo officials nor Mayor Karen Bass’ office had an immediate response to requests for comment.
Animal advocates such as Social Compassion in Legislation, among others, were concerned about the elephants. Photos posted on social media of the elephant enclosure showed an empty space, fueling worry that Billy and Tina were on their way to the Tulsa Zoo.
Zoo officials announced last month the elephants would be relocated to the Elephant Experience and Preserve in Tulsa, which prompted protests and a lawsuit.
Animal advocates also sent a letter to Bass, co-signed by such celebrities as Cher, Alicia Silverstone, Diane Warren and Justin Theroux.
“We are writing you in support of moving the last two Los Angeles Asian elephants to a sanctuary, not another zoo,” the letter reads. “We urge you to allow these majestic beings to retire.”
Last week, a judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order to block the relocation of the elephants.
The fate of the elephants has become a contentious issue on the City Council as well, with Councilman Bob Blumenfield calling for the zoo to delay its decision until additional options are explored.
Los Angeles Zoo CEO Denise Verret previously said she would make decisions that are for the best interest of the animals.
Billy is 40 years old and Tina is 59. Zoo officials said they have been evaluating the elephant exhibit since the deaths of two other elephants – Jewel, age 61, in 2023, and Shaunzi, age 53, in 2024 — although they said those animals were in “declining health due to issues unrelated to the zoo’s enclosure or care.”
The Tulsa Zoo is home to five Asian elephants. The preserve covers 17 acres, including a 36,650-square-foot elephant barn and a 10-plus-acre wooded elephant preserve.
Blumenfield and animal advocates had called for the elephants to be released to the 3,060-acre Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, home to 12 elephants, or the Performing Animal Welfare Society’s sanctuary in Northern California.
Animal advocates have long called for the release of the elephants, whom they say suffer from “grave distress” and medical conditions due to the limited confines at the zoo. A claim the L.A. Zoo has denied.
“The Los Angeles Zoo works tirelessly to assure that all its animals, including the elephants receive the best care possible and any assertion to the contrary is imply false,” zoo officials said in a statement Thursday.
“The care and wellbeing of the animals is always a top priority and decisions impacting the animals are made at discretion of the zoo director — an authority granted in the Los Angeles City Charter.”
“Activist agendas and protests are rightfully not a consideration in decisions that impact animal care,” the statement continued.
Zoo officials have defended their decision, noting it was made in consultation with experts from around the country affiliated with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and its Elephant Species Survival Plan, a body that advises on the management of the entire elephant population in North American zoos.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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