Judge refuses to block move of LA Zoo elephants Billy and Tina to Tulsa Zoo

Introduction to the Controversy

A judge on Thursday declined a Los Angeles resident’s request for a restraining order that would have put a temporary stop on a bid by the Los Angeles Zoo to transfer aging elephants Billy and Tina to the Tulsa Zoo, where local zoo officials say the animals would have more room to roam.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant said the issue would be better handled through the City Council rather than in the courts.
Plaintiff John Kelly had sought the TRO pending a hearing on a preliminary injunction. Kelly said the beasts should instead be transferred to an animal sanctuary.
Kelly said in a sworn declaration that he donated $50 to the LA Zoo based on an announcement that Tina and Billy would be going to a “preserve” similar to a sanctuary, only to find out later that the truth was otherwise.
Asian elephant Billy is seen at the L.A. Zoo. (Photo by Jamie Pham/Courtesy of the L.A. Zoo)
“I learned from … my own research of various sources that, at the Tulsa Zoo, the elephants would be subject to the same inhumane conditions from which they had suffered and continued to suffer at the LA Zoo,” Kelly said in a sworn declaration. “In other words, I was duped.”

LA Zoo’s Stance on the Transfer

But in her own sworn declaration, LA Zoo Director Denise Verret says the zoo’s announcement about the transfer of Billy and Tina was “completely truthful and accurate. We were upfront that Billy and Tina are moving to another zoo — the Tulsa Zoo.”
The Tulsa Zoo itself refers to its newly expanded elephant habitat as the “Family Elephant Experience and Elephant Preserve,” according to Verret.
Tina is owned by the San Diego Zoo, which has already transferred ownership to the Tulsa Zoo, and the Tulsa Zoo has already made arrangements for her transfer, Verret further says.
“If the transfer is blocked, the Los Angeles Zoo potentially faces claims from the Tulsa Zoo or San Diego Zoo, according to Verret.

Reaction from Animal Advocates

Following Thursday’s hearing, Kelly’s attorney, Melissa Lerner, told reporters the public should reach out to city officials and urge them to block the elephants’ transfer to Tulsa. She also said Mayor Karen Bass should step in and prevent the move.
“She has the power to intervene and prevent their transfer before it’s too late,” Lerner said, adding that Kelly will continue to fight to stop the move.
An animal-rights advocate who attended the hearing told reporters she does not believe there’s enough space at the Tulsa facility to properly house the elephants.
“I really believe they want to take Billy to this other zoo to breed him,” Patty Shenker said.

The LA Zoo’s Decision and Alternatives

The L.A. Zoo announced on April 22 its decision to relocate Billy and Tina to Tulsa Zoo’s 17-acre Elephant Experience and a 10-plus-acre wooded preserve, allowing them to join an Asian elephant herd, consisting of males Sneezy and Hank, and females Sooky, Booper and Connie. A date for the move has not been announced.
Representatives for the Tulsa Zoo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials with the San Diego Zoo also did not immediately respond to a request for comment surrounding questions related to Tina’s ownership and transfer.
The L.A. Zoo’s plans to relocate the pair of elephants to another zoo has stirred the city’s animal advocates into action, including City Councilman Bob Blumenfield.
The councilman has called for the zoo to delay its plan until other options are considered such as the 3,060-acre Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, home to 12 elephants, or the Performing Animal Welfare Society’s ARK 2000 Sanctuary in Northern California.

Concerns Over the Elephants’ Welfare

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 simply false,” zoo officials said in a statement Thursday. “The care and well-being 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.

Alternative Solutions and Criticisms

In an interview with City News Service on Tuesday, philanthropist and retired trial lawyer David Casselman spoke on the elephants’ situation. Casselman, who is also co-founder of the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary and founder of the Ecoflix Foundation, has offered to pay for relocation of the elephants to his sanctuary.
“I can’t remember the year, but at some point, I was made aware of the problems going on in L.A. Zoo,” Casselman said, citing concerns with the care of elephants which heightened after he learned more details about the death of Hannibal, an African bull elephant, in 1992 during an attempt to transfer him to the Zacango Zoo near Mexico City.
When he was eventually approached about Billy and Tina, Casselman said he dove into their circumstances. Casselman told CNS that he was mortified that experts, who were tasked with care of the pair of elephants, appeared “to not know anything about how to properly care for an elephant.”
He later spent $8 million in pro bono work in the case of Aaron Leiter v. John Lewis, city of Los Angeles, which involved a taxpayer action filed by residents Leider and Robert Culp against the city and its then-zoo director, John Lewis. Casselman served as the attorney representing the plaintiffs from about 2010 to 2017, with the case ultimately resolved by the Supreme Court of California.
Casselman criticized the zoo’s decision, adding the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is “for a lack of a better word, like a cult.”
“They control their zoos within their orbit very tightly, and they won’t allow them to do certain things,” Casselman said. “They’ll punish them for doing the wrong things, and basically they are afraid of sanctuaries.”
He agreed with Blumenfield that sanctuaries in Tennessee and Northern California would serve as great options for the elephants. However, he continued to advocate for their relocation to his sanctuary in Cambodia.
“They can live like real elephants — eating fruits and vegetables, the trees and grass, whatever they want, and we supplement it, and we watch them and we have veterinarians to watch over them,” Casselman said.

Conclusion

The controversy over the transfer of Billy and Tina to the Tulsa Zoo highlights the ongoing debate about the welfare of elephants in zoos. While the LA Zoo maintains that the transfer is in the best interest of the elephants, animal advocates and critics argue that the zoo’s decision is motivated by a desire to breed the elephants and that sanctuaries would provide a more suitable environment. The outcome of this controversy will have significant implications for the future of elephant care and management in zoos.

FAQs

1. Why did the judge refuse to block the transfer of Billy and Tina to the Tulsa Zoo?
   The judge refused to block the transfer because he believed that the issue would be better handled through the City Council rather than in the courts.
2. What are the concerns of animal advocates regarding the transfer of Billy and Tina?
   Animal advocates are concerned that the Tulsa Zoo does not have enough space to properly house the elephants and that the zoo’s decision is motivated by a desire to breed the elephants.
3. What alternatives have been proposed for the care of Billy and Tina?
   Alternatives that have been proposed include relocating the elephants to sanctuaries in Tennessee or Northern California, or to a sanctuary in Cambodia.
4. What is the LA Zoo’s stance on the transfer of Billy and Tina?
   The LA Zoo maintains that the transfer is in the best interest of the elephants and that the zoo’s decision was made in consultation with experts from around the country.
5. What is the role of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in the management of elephant populations in North American zoos?
   The Association of Zoos and Aquariums advises on the management of the entire elephant population in North American zoos through its Elephant Species Survival Plan.