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Today, a Los Angeles County judge denied an emergency motion to halt the transfer of Billy and Tina, the last two elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo, to the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma. The motion was part of a lawsuit filed by an L.A. resident advocating for the elephants to be relocated to an animal sanctuary instead. The judge determined that the matter should be addressed by city officials rather than the court, encouraging concerned parties to engage with the City Council and the mayor's office.
CALL TO ACTION FOR LA RESIDENTS:
Please call and/or email the Mayor & your City Councilmember as soon as possible and tell them to send the elephants to a sanctuary! The elephants could be shipped out at any moment!
Find their contact information : https://lacity.gov/directory#elected-officials
Angelenos have long criticized the L.A. Zoo's elephant enclosure, citing its limited space and potential health implications for the animals. The zoo decided to transfer Billy and Tina following the death of another elephant, Shaunzi, which left the zoo below the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) requirement of housing at least three Asian elephants. The Tulsa Zoo, their intended destination, offers a larger habitat and a social group of five other Asian elephants, but it's just another zoo. (Los Angeles Times)
The lawsuit, supported by declarations from public figures like singer Cher, argues that the decision to transfer the elephants lacked public input and transparency. Despite the legal setback, the plaintiff's legal team plans to continue pursuing the case.
“Billy and Tina have served their time in confinement,” Cher said in the declaration. “They deserve the chance to live out their lives in peace and dignity.”
L.A. Zoo officials maintain that the relocation is in the best interest of the elephants' welfare, but have thus far failed to give any reasoning behind their opinion, which is concerning considering a sanctuary is available to take both elephants.
Many civil rights and civic-minded groups that have nothing to do with animal rights are speaking out in support of sending the elephants to a sanctuary. The Congress of Racial Equality of California, the Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California, and the Italian-American Lawyers Association to name just a few.
Also, below is a fantastic letter just submitted by the Los Angeles Bar Association's Animal Law Section in support of sending the elephants to a sanctuary, not a zoo. Click on the picture below to read the entire document. The letter reflects the various non-animal rights groups and individuals who can clearly see that the best place for elephants is either in the wild, or at a sanctuary where they can act out their natural behavior as much as possible.
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