Well, so Billy and Tina, the elephants, have officially made their way from Los Angeles Zoo to Tulsa Zoo, despite all the protests and objections. The L.A. Zoo spilled the beans on Wednesday morning that the two pachyderms arrived safe and sound in Tulsa after a pretty lengthy journey by truck. The drive happened overnight, probably to avoid traffic and keep the animals comfy, but the exact start time and arrival time are still a bit of a mystery.
Seems like there was a little mix-up earlier about the size of the elephant enclosure at Tulsa Zoo – it’s actually about 17 acres, not whatever was said before. The L.A. Zoo thought the trip took around 22 hours, but Tulsa Zoo is out here saying it was more like 26 hours. Advocates got a bit antsy when they saw the elephant enclosure empty back in L.A. on Tuesday. They’ve been on the L.A. Zoo’s case for a while now, pointing out how small the enclosures are and the history of health issues and deaths among the elephants there.
The zoo tried to justify the move by saying they had to follow the standards set by the Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums, which require at least three Asian elephants in an enclosure. With two elephants gone, it was either send Billy and Tina packing or squeeze more elephants in there. The zoo claims they looked at all the options, including sanctuaries, but in the end, it was the AZA and its Elephant Species Survival Plan that made the call. Tulsa Zoo was chosen because of the space they had, the other elephants already there, and the fact that Billy and Tina could stick together. The whole thing cost $44,000, split between L.A. Zoo and Tulsa Zoo, but apparently, it won’t mess with the city budget.
