News
We Won’t Turn Our Backs On Billy
January 30, 2009, 10:10 MT
By Carrie Jones
Money Talks At City Council, But the Voice of Compassion Echoes
Money Talks At City Council, But the Voice of Compassion Echoes
Story by Carrie Jones, Best Friends Network Volunteer
City Council may have ultimately voted to do what’s best for the budget and not Billy in the ongoing dispute over the $42 million expansion of the L.A. Zoo’s elephant exhibit, but it wasn’t for lack of perseverance or dedication on the part of Councilman Tony Cardenas. In a special standing-room-only meeting of the full council, Cardenas fought to the bitter end to close the elephant exhibit at the Zoo and send its lone bull, Billy, to a sanctuary in Northern California. Cardenas was backed by a throng of opponents to the Zoo’s proposed Pachyderm Forest including reps from the Humane Society and In Defense of Animals, and celebrity animal-lovers Cher, Bob Barker and Lily Tomlin. Cardenas passionately defended his motion, introduced back in October, which sited the Zoo’s history of premature deaths, inadequate space and poor overall health for their captive elephants as evidence to discontinue the exhibit.
At a time when the U.S. economy is in rapid recession and the state of California teeters on the verge of bankruptcy, it would seem the responsible thing to do, not just for Billy who hit a milestone twenty-year anniversary on display at the Zoo, but to ease the burden on taxpayers. But in an unexpected financial twist of fate, continuing the construction of the multi-million dollar exhibit turned out to be the most immediately fiscally responsible move for the council to make. As additional incentive to convince City Council, a “bailout” of sorts came just in the nick of time from GLAZA (Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association), the fundraising arm of the L.A. Zoo, who had already pledged $5 million to keep the construction on track despite opposition from Cardenas and animal welfare advocates.
GLAZA stepped up with an additional $6 million and a commitment to assume the 20-year debt ($1.2 million annually) that the city would take on if the project continued. And if this wasn’t enough to tip the scales, it seems the County requested a $5 million check be issued within 60 days to refund the money already contributed towards the Pachyderm project should construction be cancelled. The numbers spoke loudly to the Council. Closing the elephant exhibit would incur a five million dollar penalty. (It should be noted that Cardenas later pointed out that the CAO’s report to the council failed to mention that the County’s request for reimbursement came with a disclaimer stating the Council could appeal the five million refund if a suitable substitute for the Pachyderm Forest could be presented.) Even Bob Barker’s generous $1.5 million pledge to cover Billy’s transport to PAWS Performing Animal Welfare Sanctuary couldn’t offset GLAZA’s promise of the $24 million debt assumption for the expansion.
As for the hundreds of citizens in the room, those who had seats were on the edge of them when President Garcetti called for the final vote. GLAZA’s ambitious pledge did not win over Councilman Bernard Parks of the Budget and Finance Committee, who stuck to his guns and ultimately voted against the construction. The same could not be said for Rosendahl, who announced a change of vote in the Zoo’s favor at the last minute even though he initially voted against the project in 2006. But even in light of the new financial circumstances, Cardenas didn’t waver in his plight to remove Billy from the zoo. In the final moments, he introduced a substitute motion which would allow the Pachyderm Forest construction to continue only without the apparently obligatory elephant species. The substitute motion was swiftly defeated, and the final tally was 11-4 in favor of continuing construction of the elephant exhibit.
The announcement brought cheers and an ovation from the zealous zoo employees, volunteers and supporters who sat in the front rows. The tally had a far more sobering effect on the other side. Catherine Doyle of In Defense Of Animals, a tireless advocate for Billy and captive elephants everywhere, was quoted as saying, “This isn’t over.”
Billy will remain the Zoo’s solitary elephant on less than one acre until the final phase of construction on the Pachyderm Forest is completed in the fall of 2010. PAWS founder Pat Derby says they would be ready to accept Billy at the sanctuary as early as April 2009.
So even though the Zoo and its multitude of green-shirted supporters may have won this battle over Billy, the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead can give hope to those who seek to free him:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
We won’t forget about you, Billy!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Vote in the L.A. Times’ poll if you disagree with City Council's decision.
Express your gratitude to Cardenas and the councilmembers who showed compassion in their votes:
District 6 - Tony Cardenas
Phone: 213-473-7006 Fax: 213-847-0549
Email: councilmember.cardenas@lacity.org
District 3 - Dennis P. Zine
Phone: 213-473-7003
Email: councilmember.zine@lacity.org
District 8 - Bernard Parks
Phone: 213-473-7008 Fax: 213-458-7683
Email: councilmember.parks@lacity.org
District 9 - Jan Perry
Phone: 213-473-7009 Fax: 213-473-5946
Email: jan.perry@lacity.org
Write a letter to the editor of the L.A. Times:
Send your letter to letters@latimes.com. Letters must be 150 words or less and must include your name, complete address, and telephone number for verification in the event your letter is chosen.
Write a letter to the editor of the Daily News:
Send a brief letter (no more than 200 words) to dnforum@dailynews.com. Include your name, mailing address and phone number for verification.
Photo of Billy by Carrie Jones