LA Zoo elephants secretly removed from exhibit, TMZ reports
LA Zoo mystery: Elephants gone from enclosure, reports say
According to reports, Billy and Tina were removed from their enclosure early Tuesday and reportedly shipped to their new home at the Tulsa Zoo.
LOS ANGELES - Where are Tina and Billy?
The whereabouts of the last two remaining Asian elephants at the LA Zoo remained unknown after reports surfaced Tuesday night that the two elephants had been secretly removed.
What we know:
Sources with the LA Zoo told TMZ that the elephants were removed from their enclosure around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. They were allegedly put into crates and loaded onto semi-trucks presumebly to be transferred to the Tulsa Zoo. TMZ also reported that the elephant exhibit at the LA Zoo was empty on Tuesday, with no keepers, and the electric fence was turned off.
However, Cory Mac with grassroots animal activists group Los Angeles For Animals told FOX 11 on Wednesday that the "rumors" are not true and that the zoo informed her yesterday that Tina and Billy remain at the zoo.
Attorney Melissa Lerner, who represented the LA resident seeking a temporary restraining order that would have blocked the LA Zoo's transfer of the elephants, told FOX 11 "we are also hearing rumors that they were moved last night but have not been able to confirm yet."
What we don't know:
The LA Zoo or the Tulsa Zoo have yet to comment or confirm on the matter. It's unclear who is responsible for removing them.
Judge denies TRO blocking transfer of LA Zoo elephants to Tulsa
A judge in Los Angeles denied a request for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the LA Zoo from moving its last two beloved elephants, Tina and Billy.
The backstory:
In April, the LA Zoo announced that Tina and Billy would be relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma 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. A Los Angeles resident sued the director of the Los Angeles Zoo over the plan. Plaintiff John Kelly's complaint, which names Zoo Director and CEO Denise Verret as a defendant, echoes the concerns of animal rights activists who have lobbied for years for Billy and Tina to be moved to an accredited wildlife sanctuary. 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
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.
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, their potential new home, 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."
What's next:
FOX 11 has reached out to the zoo and LA Mayor Karen Bass for comment but has not yet heard back.