The Los Angeles Zoo has decided to pause its elephant program and will relocate its last two elephants, Billy and Tina, to an expanded facility in Tulsa Zoo. This decision follows decades of criticism regarding the zoo's small elephant enclosure and past controversies surrounding the health and mortality of the elephants. Celebrities have advocated for the relocation of Billy, who has been at the L.A. Zoo since 1989. The zoo defends the care provided to its elephants but acknowledged it could not support a larger herd given recent deaths of their companions due to age-related health issues.
"Creating a larger social herd at the L.A. Zoo is currently not a viable option due to the limited availability of Asian elephants within the AZA population."
"I'm glad that they are at least pausing and hopefully ultimately ending their elephant program, but I also worry about the transition to a new environment for the elephants."
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