A pair of aging elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo will soon receive new homes — but their destination is subject to intense scrutiny.
During a Los Angeles City Council budget hearing on May 8, L.A. Zoo Director Denise Verret confirmed that the zoo planned to send Billy and Tina, a pair of asian elephants who have called L.A. home for decades, to the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma.
“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 receive 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 life 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 John 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.
On Thursday, a judge is expected to rule on an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order filed by Kelly, which would keep the elephants in L.A. as the legal process plays out.
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