LA Zoo relocating its last two Asian elephants to animal preserve at zoo in Oklahoma

The Los Angeles Zoo announced that they will relocate their last two Asian elephants to a new preserve at the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma. 

Billy and Tina, 40 and 59, will be moved to the Elephant Experience and Preserve in Tulsa, according to zoo officials.

"This decision was made with the care and wellbeing of Billy and Tina as the number one priority and will afford them the opportunity to live among other elephants," said a statement from the LA Zoo. 

They say that the decision was made after evaluating their current elephant exhibit since the deaths of two other elephants in recent years, even though they were both in "declining health due to issues unrelated to the Zoo's enclosure."

Jewel, a 61-year-old female, died in 2023 and Shaunzi, a 53-year-old female, died the following year. Both deaths were met by protests outside of the zoo from animal right activists calling for the remaining elephants' release due to "unnatural and neglectful conditions and confinement," demonstrators said at the time.

"Following the move, the Zoo will pause its elephant program for the immediate future," officials said. "The Zoo will continue to support Asian elephant conservation programs and the Elephants of Asia exhibit will be reimagined for other suitable species and programming."

Currently, the facility at the Tulsa Zoo is home to five Asian elephants. It covers 17 acres of land, including a wooded elephant preserve and a 36,000+ square-foot elephant barn. 

"There is still time to see Billy and Tina before they depart," the release said. "A date for the move has not yet been determined."

Zoo officials made note that the decision has been under consideration for an extended period of time and has no relation to Mayor Karen Bass' city budget proposal made on Monday, which included 1,600 potential layoffs for city employees. They reached their conclusion with help from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and their Elephant Species Survival Plan, as well as the Taxon Advisory Group. 

There is no timetable for when or if elephants will return to the LA Zoo, as officials say that they would first need to meet the social and gender requirements outlined in AZA's Accreditation Standards, something made even more difficult due to the limited availability of Asian elephants.