A judge denied a request Thursday to place the planned move of two Los Angeles Zoo elephants to a zoo with a preserve in Oklahoma on hold.
The temporary restraining order request sought to place the plan to move elephants Billy, 40, and Tina, 59, on hold until after a hearing on whether a preliminary injunction should be issued that would put the move on a long-term hold. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant said the matter would be better handled through the City Council rather than in the courts.
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The LA Zoo announced plans for the move in April, appearing to signal a significant step in a decades-long debate over the welfare of the animals.
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SIGN UP The newly expanded preserve in Oklahoma is a 17-acre complex that has a 36,650-square-foot elephant barn and a 10-plus acre wooded preserve, which is home to five Asian elephants. Los Angeles Zoo officials said the move will give Billy and Tina more room to roam with other elephants.
LA resident John Kelly, who filed the temporary injunction complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court, said the elephants should be sent to an animal sanctuary.
"The residents of Los Angeles have a lot of pride and concern for their well-being," said attorney Melissa Lerner, who represents Kelly. "This is really not a zoo-against-zoo comparison. This is about the well-settled science that no zoo, however large the enclosure, can offer a humane environment for elephants to live in."
The LA Zoo released a statement Thursday that said, "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. 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.
"Visitors to the L.A. Zoo have enjoyed watching and learning from Billy (40) and Tina (59) for years. The difficult decision to relocate them was made in consultation with, and on the recommendation of, experts from around the country affiliated with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and its Elephant Species Survival Plan (SSP), a body that advises on the management of the entire elephant population in North American zoos.
"The Zoo announced on April 22 of this year through a press release and a letter to all zoo members that the decision had been made to relocate its two elephants to the Tulsa Zoo. Both the Los Angeles Zoo and the Tulsa Zoo are accredited by the AZA, meaning they meet or exceed the high standards for animal care and wellbeing for all of their animals, including the elephants. Ultimately, this decision, as is the case with all animal care decisions at the L.A. Zoo, is driven by the unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of the animals."
After the deaths of Shaunzi, 53, in January of 2024 and 61-year-old Jewel, who died a year earlier, Billy and Tina became the only two elephants remaining at the Los Angeles Zoo.
Shaunzi and Jewel were in declining health unrelated to the zoo's enclosure or care, the Zoo said. They were euthanized due to age-related health issues.
The elephants program underwent an evaluation over the past year. The decision to move the elephants was not related to recent proposals to close a significant city of Los Angeles budget deficit, the Zoo said.
"The Los Angeles Zoo works tirelessly to assure that all its animals, including the elephants, receive the best care possible, and visitors have enjoyed watching the Zoo’s elephants for years," the LA Zoo said in its announcement. "The decision is driven by the L.A. Zoo’s unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of all the animals in its care."
The Zoo plans to pause its elephant program for the immediate future.
The newly expanded preserve in Oklahoma is a 17-acre complex that has a 36,650-square-foot elephant barn and a 10-plus acre wooded preserve.
A date for the relocation hasn't be scheduled.
Following the announcement, Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield introduced a motion calling for the zoo to hold off on the move until additional options are explored.
Billy came to Los Angeles as a 4-year-old calf from peninsular Malaysia in 1989. At the time, Malaysia was relocating wild elephants that were damaging palm oil and rubber plantations due to the animals' habitat that was fragmented by agricultural activity. Some elephants were relocated to other tracts of habitat, others were sent to zoos to prevent them from being culled with herds that had been identified as problematic.
Tina came to the LA Zoo from the San Diego Zoo in 2010, along with companion Jewel. The two elephants had spent 30 years together in private ownership before they were confiscated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and brought to San Diego for recovery and rehabilitation.
The Zoo called both elephants excellent ambassador for their species who helped teach millions of zoo visitors about the threats faced by elephants.
