LA Zoo To Shut Down Elephant Enclosure After Years Of Protests

Photo: LA Zoo.

India-West News Desk

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles Zoo has announced that its last two Asian elephants, Billy and Tina, will be moved to a larger, more naturalistic sanctuary at the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma, marking the end of the zoo’s decades-long elephant program.

The relocation follows years of debate and public scrutiny over the welfare of the zoo’s elephants.  Los Angeles animal welfare activists have fought for the release of the elephants and the pachyderm supporters have even focused on Indian weddings where the animal- not related to the zoo –  is used in baraats.

Billy, 40, and Tina, 59, will join five other Asian elephants at Tulsa Zoo’s newly expanded Elephant Experience and Preserve, a 17-acre habitat featuring a 36,650-square-foot barn and over 10 acres of forested terrain designed to promote social interaction and natural behavior.

Zoo officials emphasized that the decision was based solely on animal welfare. “This move allows Billy and Tina the chance to live among a larger herd in a more expansive and enriching environment,” the Zoo said in a statement.

The departure of the elephants comes after the recent deaths of Shaunzi, 53, in January 2024, and Jewel, 61, the year before. Both were euthanized due to age-related health complications, which officials stressed were not linked to the zoo’s care or facilities.

Tulsa Zoo’s preserve is widely considered one of the premier elephant facilities in the country, offering more space, herd companionship, and specialized geriatric care — all vital as Billy and Tina enter the later stages of their lives.