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Lazo puts an indefinite pause in the elephant program and moves two remaining herd members, Billy and Tina, to Oklahoma, where they live in the newly expanded elephant habit at the Tulsa Zoo.
The elephant program has been criticized by animal rights advocates for decades due to its size of its enclosure and the history of death and health challenges among its residents.
Celebrities, including Cher, Lily Tomlin and the late Bob Baker, defended Billy, who had been at La Zoo since 1989, to be moved to the Elephant Sanctuary, citing concerns about the Enclosure’s mental and physical health. Claims to move him have been proposed three times by the city council.
However, Lazo has long defended the quality of care provided to elephants and did not cite health issues as the reason for the relocation announced Tuesday.
The zoo said it is currently infeasible to replace the two former herd members, Billy and Tina, who have recently passed away, and officials chose to move them as elephants need to live in larger social groups. Jewel (61) and 53-year-old Shaunge were euthanized in 2023 and 2024, respectively. This is because the health issues mentioned by the zoo are age-related and not for enclosure or care.
“Due to limited availability of Asian elephants within AZA, creating larger social herds at the LA Zoo is not currently a viable option. [Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums] “Population” wrote in a news release: “When we move to Tulsa, another Aza-certified Zoo with a good elephant program, Billy and Tina can continue to receive exceptional care with the opportunity to integrate with the larger herd.”
Courtney Scott, an elephant consultant for animal welfare organizations in animal defense, said she has mixed feelings about Lazzo’s announcement.
“I hope they at least pause and end their elephant program,” she said. “It’s very unfortunate that they’re sending them to other zoos, especially when we know that there’s been years of effort through the city council to send these elephants to the sanctuary.”
Since no dates for elephant movements are set, Angelenos still has the opportunity to visit animals at Griffith Park. Billy and Tina will join five other Asian elephants at the Tulsa Zoo and recently expanded the elephant complex to include a 36,650 square feet of barn and a 10-acre wooded reserve.
Animal Defense ranked Lazo number one on this year’s second year in a row “Elephant Worst Zoo” list, citing Billy and Tina’s poor health and social isolation.
“Both elephants suffer from serious zoo-related medical issues,” the organization said in its report. “Billie has experienced repeated foot problems, one of the most common causes of elephant deaths in Zoos, while Tina suffers from osteoarthritis, joint disease, and seizures of the la bone.”
Furthermore, the organization says that both elephants show the level of distribution of what they say is zoo behavior. Billy is often seen watching bob, pacing and shaking. This is all indications of brain damage caused by long-standing prisoners, the organization said.
Scott said both animals are better in sanctuaries with many acres of openly roaming around, rather than confinement in another zoo enclosure.
Billy’s bobbing is the main reason why public and LA City Council members insisted he would relocate to the sanctuary.
“You can’t get over Billy’s headbobbing. Every time I go there, it’s all he does,” then competitor Ed Reyes said in a 2008 city council debate about whether to halt construction of new elephant habitat at the LA Zoo in support of creating a 60-acre reserve in the LA Basin. In 2009, the council voted to ensure the zoo completed the exhibition and kept Billy.
Billy’s health concerns were once again trumpeted at City Hall in January 2018. The then competitor Paul Colletz proposed a move to relocate Billy, citing concerns about his mental and physical health. Koretz tried to move forward with a similar move again in December 2022, but neither of them advanced to the Furkansil vote.
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