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The decision by Los Angeles Zoo officials to send two aged elephants to another zoo in Oklahoma rather than a sanctuary sparked controversy among animal rights activists.
The Animal Rights Advocacy Group in Animal Defense (IDA) has issued a statement expressing disappointment and disappointment at Lazo’s decision to send two Asian elephants, Tina, 59, and Billy, 40, to the sanctuary.
“It’s so sad. It’s a setback,” Courtney Scott, Ida Elephant Consultant, told KTLA’s Sandra Mitchell. “That’s really heartbreaking.”
Despite the IDA explaining “thousands of calls,” he says he has space to move the animals into sanctuaries where they age, where they have peace as they age, but Scott says the animals are sick from constant scrutiny from the crowd and the stress of confinement at the zoo.
Billy, 40 years old, Asian elephant seen in Lazzo. (Ida) Aging Asian elephant found in Tina, 59, Lazo. (Ida) Billy, 40 years old, Asian elephant seen in Lazzo. (Ida) Aging Asian elephant found in Tina, 59, Lazo. (Ida) Aging Asian elephant found in Tina, 59, Lazo. (Ida) Aging Asian elephant found in Tina, 59, Lazo. (Ida) Billy (age 40) and Tina (59), two Asian elephants seen in Lazzo. (IDA)
“Serious concerns continue to be raised about Billy and Tina, who suffer from several medical conditions, including foot and joint disease and chronic arthritis,” the organization’s statement read.
On their part, zoo officials said last year they decided to assess and spend the elephant program, moving the two animals into a newly expanded elephant experience and keeping them at Tulsa Zoo.
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“This decision is driven by an unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of all the animals Lazo cared for,” a zoo official said in a statement.
However, after two elephant deaths in Lazo over the past two years, activists say it is clear that animals should not be raised.
“It’s a cruel habit,” Kiersten Cluster with the Guardians of the Elephant in LA told KTLA. “Wildlife prisoners really need to be a thing of the past.”
Cluster explained that Billy and Tina’s first one is not over, and that LA City Council could potentially intervene on behalf of the elephant.
“We will never give up,” she added.
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