News
To Live Or Die in an L.A. Zoo
November 09, 2008, 8:5PM MT
By Carrie Jones
City Council to decide Billy's fate on Nov. 19.
City Council to decide Billy's fate on Nov. 19.
Story by Carrie Jones, Best Friends Network Volunteer
UPDATE 11/18/08: TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO WRITE/CALL THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS!
The final vote on whether to close the Los Angeles Zoo elephant exhibit and send Billy the elephant to a sanctuary is currently scheduled for this Wednesday, November 19. A minimum of 10 of the 15 Los Angeles City Council members must vote in favor of Councilman Cardenas’ motion for it to pass.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
CONTACT THE LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL
If you live in Los Angeles, contact your city councilperson at the L.A. City Council website to voice your opinion about how best to provide for Billy's welfare.
CONTACT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Los Angeles City Hall
200 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: 213-978-0600 Fax: 213-978-0750
Email: mayor@lacity.org
SPEAK OUT AT THE COUNCIL MEETING
Be prepared to speak for 1 minute during public comment on the motion. Keep your comments concise, polite and focused. Arrive early enough to complete a public comment card.
WHEN: Wednesday, November 19th, 10am
WHERE: L.A. City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, L.A., 90012, John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340
Protestors outside the L.A. Zoo carry signs that read “Elephants don’t live in zoos, they die in zoos.” A debate rages over whether Billy, the zoo’s lone Bull Elephant, should remain in the zoo’s soon-to-be expanded exhibit or be moved to a sanctuary where he can retire from public life with others of his kind. Councilman Tony Cardenas drew attention to the plight of Billy when he introduced two motions in front of L.A. City Council in October proposing that the $42 million elephant exhibit expansion at the L.A. Zoo be halted and that the city divert the funds to build an elephant sanctuary in the Valley foothills. Cardenas even went so far as to declare that elephants do not belong in zoos and that the exhibit be permanently closed.
Celebrities such as Lily Tomlin and renowned animal activist Bob Barker have taken sides with Cardenas and have spoken out against the zoo’s expansion and believe that life in an elephant sanctuary would be better suited for Billy. However, opponents of the measures introduced by Cardenas contend that the zoo’s new six-acre elephant habitat, which will include a breeding facility, would provide a suitable and healthy environment for the elephant and his future companions. When questioned about Billy’s head-bobbing behavior which some say is a sign of psychological distress caused by confinement, Billy’s trainer remarked that it was part of the elephant’s personality and not a symptom of a disorder or neurosis.
Although the zoo’s experts publicly declare that Billy is healthy, the statistics that the zoo has lost 13 elephants since 1975 presents an entirely different picture considering the species lives an average of 60-70 years in the wild, according to one of the zoo’s former veterinarians. Based on those numbers and the fact that elephants in captivity have an average life span that is half that, animal welfare activists question the zoo’s ability to speak on behalf of Billy’s well-being. Given that Billy is 21 years old, it would seem his days are numbered if remains at the zoo. More than half of the elephants that have died in the L.A. Zoo since 1975 never even saw their 21st birthday. Councilman Cardenas speaks to these startling numbers when he said, “This city can't afford to build a $40 million elephant mortuary."
In Thursday’s meeting, The City Council's Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee recommended to the full council that construction of the zoo’s expansion continue. But Councilman Cardenas, along with a band of concerned celebrities and animal welfare activists, were adamant that the Council explore the sanctuary options, including PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society), which has an elephant habitat in Galt, California with hundreds of acres of natural, varied terrain for the elephants to roam freely, as well as lakes for swimming and heated barns. PAWS is already home to one of the L.A. Zoo’s former elephants, Ruby, a retired circus performer. Supporters of the sanctuary alternative for Billy contend that the zoo cannot provide the space, exercise and social enrichment needed to preserve elephants’ health and well-being.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ELEPHANT SANCTUARIES, VISIT: Performing Animal Welfare Society and The Elephant Sanctuary
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Contact the Los Angeles City Council
If you live in Los Angeles, contact your city councilperson at the L.A. City Council website to voice your opinion about Billy.
For more information:
• The Save Billy Campaign
Photos by Carrie Jones
Sources: L.A. Daily News, Last Chance for Animals