LA Zoo's elephant transfer to Tulsa sparks controversy amid lawsuit

There's controversy and a new lawsuit surrounding the plan to move two elephants from the Los Angeles Zoo to the Tulsa Zoo.

LA Zoo Plans to Transfer Elephants Billy and Tina to Tulsa

The Tulsa Zoo will soon be home to 2 new Asian elephants from the Los Angeles Zoo - 40-year-old Billy and 59-year-old Tina. The LA Zoo, in a press release said, "This decision was made with the care and well-being of Billy and Tina as the number one priority."

The LA Zoo says a date for the move hasn't been decided yet.

RELATED: LA Zoo sued over plan to move elephants to Tulsa

Animal Advocates Push Back, Call It a 'Betrayal'

As the elephant consultant for the group In Defense of Animals, Courtney Scott has spent the last 20 years advocating against putting elephants like Billy and Tina in zoos…. and she’s not alone. For years, animal advocates have fought to send the pair to a sanctuary. 

“I think they feel it’s a huge betrayal of the public trust,” Scott said. 

Click here for IDA's full statement on the relocation.

Lawsuit Filed to Block Elephant Transfer to Tulsa Zoo

In early May, a Los Angeles resident sued the LA Zoo to try to stop the transfer. The lawsuit says the zoo tricked members of the public into believing the LA Zoo had chosen for Billy and Tina to live out the rest of their days at an accredited sanctuary instead of a zoo.

The pair will instead now be living in Tulsa Zoo's 36,000 square foot Elephant Preserve Barn. 

“The word "preserve" is deceptive, because it connotes some wild beautiful natural setting,” said Scott. 

Scott says, even with Tulsa zoo's upgrades, it still doesn’t give elephants what they need to thrive.

“If you’re just walking on barren ground, with nothing to do, nothing to see, no environment that really enriches your life…how much better is that?" she said. 

Tulsa Zoo issued the following statement:

Tulsa Zoo has seen news reports of a lawsuit. Out of respect for LA Zoo, we are holding public comment on any legal matters that may be in process.

We won’t, however, allow the rhetoric about our zoo go unchallenged. As accredited zoos, both Tulsa Zoo and Los Angeles Zoo are dedicated to animal wellbeing and doing the work every day. Tulsa Zoo is proud of the investment we’ve been able to make in our elephant program with our community’s support and proud of our role in inspiring future generations of animal conservationists. 

The kind words we’ve been hearing from people who actually visit our zoo and see firsthand the care our team provides mean the most. Thank you on behalf of our zoo team.