LA Zoo confirms fate of elephants Billy and Tina

LOS ANGELES - Billy and Tina, the last two elephants that remained at the Los Angeles Zoo, have been relocated to Oklahoma, zoo officials confirmed Wednesday. 

The surprise announcement comes after reports surfaced Tuesday of the elephants being secretly removed from their enclosure.

What they're saying:

In a statement, the LA Zoo said Billy and Tina arrived safely at the Tulsa Zoo and would be deeply missed. 

"We are grateful for the outpouring of support from our members, volunteers, staff, and the more than 1.5 million guests who visit the Los Angeles Zoo annually. As they begin their new chapter, we know that Billy and Tina will receive the same love and expert individualized care that they have had at the Los Angeles Zoo," the zoo said in a statement. 

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: LA Zoo elephants secretly removed from exhibit, TMZ reports

Elephants taken in the middle of the night 

What we know:

TMZ was the first to report the elephants were removed from their enclosure around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. The elephants were then allegedly put into crafts and loaded onto semi-trucks to be transferred to Tulsa. TMZ also reported the elephant exhibit at the LA Zoo was empty on Tuesday, with no keepers, and the electric fence was turned off.

SkyFOX was over the elephant enclosure Wednesday morning and no elephants were in sight.

Animal activists oppose relocation 

The other side:

In response to the elephants' relocation, the Nonhuman Rights Project released a statement that read in part, "We still have viable legal options to secure Billy and Tina's freedom in an elephant sanctuary, and we're not stopping."

Attorneys for John Kelly, the Los Angeles man who had filed a lawsuit against the zoo in hopes of blocking the transfer of Billy and Tina, accused LA Mayor Karen Bass of "refusing to intervene and ensure Billy and Tina got the retirement they deserved." 

"The way this has been handled is deplorable and demands further investigation. We hope both Billy and Tina are safe and able to recover from the immense stress of their transfer," attorneys Melissa Lerner and Kelsey Leeker said in a statement. "We will continue our efforts to raise public awareness about the inhumane conditions for elephants in zoo captivity and the suffering of Billy and Tina. This is not an animal activist issue. It is one of basic decency and morals, and it is backed by scientific consensus."

Councilman Bob Blumenfield has been in opposition of the move and called for the zoo to delay its decision. Following their relocation to Tulsa, Blumenfield's office released a statement saying in part, "The last 24 hours have been a sad reflection on the government of Los Angeles. Just last week the Zoo director said in public that the move was not imminent, then we found out through the news media that the elephants were taken in the middle of the night. I’m not only disappointed and frustrated by the move, I am equally disappointed and frustrated by the lack of transparency and unwillingness to vet this decision publicly as I requested. For 30 years, Angelenos have shared heartfelt concern for these elephants, and recently lawsuits were filed on their behalf. Angelenos are deeply invested in their well being and the public deserved a transparent process considering all options before a decision was made. How do we trust that all options were truly evaluated, without any evidence of any analysis? The disregard for the public’s concern is patronizing and disrespectful to the thousands of Angelenos who have been calling for a viable sanctuary alternative. Advocacy groups were prepared to fund Billy and Tina’s transfer to a sanctuary so they could finally retire from captivity. Sanctuaries would give Billy and Tina thousands of acres with top notch medical care at no expense to the City. The LA Zoo chose to send them to a place where they have a few acres with more captive elephants in limited space. While it may be in the AZA’s best interest, we shouldn’t pretend that the AZA’s interest is the same as an elephant’s or in the best interest of the City of Los Angeles."

Why were Billy and Tina moved?

The backstory:

In April, the LA Zoo announced that Tina and Billy would be relocated to Tulsa to live out their days at the newly expanded Elephant Experience and Preserve at the Tulsa Zoo. 

The decision was met with some anger and protest. Just last week, a judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order that would have put a temporary stop on a bid by the LA Zoo from moving its last two beloved elephants.

Zoo officials said the decision was made with the animals' care and well-being as the top priority, and the relocation "will afford them the opportunity to live among other elephants."

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 

• Judge denies request blocking LA Zoo from sending elephants Tina and Billy to Tulsa
• LA Zoo being sued over plans to move elephants to Oklahoma
• LA Zoo's last remaining Asian elephants to be relocated to Oklahoma

Dig deeper:

Billy is 40 years old and Tina is 59. Contrary to the assumption that Billy has spent his entire life at the LA Zoo, his official biography indicates he was born in Malaysia and brought to Los Angeles when he was four years old. Tina's history also reveals she was reportedly a circus performer before arriving at the zoo as an adult.

Zoo officials have mentioned evaluating the elephant exhibit since the deaths of two other elephants -- Jewel, age 61, in 2023, and Shaunzi, age 53, in 2024 -- although they attributed those deaths to "declining health due to issues unrelated to the zoo's enclosure or care."

The Tulsa Zoo houses five Asian elephants and includes a 17-acre area with a 36,650-square-foot elephant barn and a 10-plus-acre wooded elephant preserve. Some in the animal rights community say the Elephant Experience and Preserve in Tulsa "was just a fancy name for the somewhat larger elephant enclosure at the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma."

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