Billy The Elephant Greets 2 New Females At LA Zoo

November 11, 2010 2:59 PM

(credit: sandiegozoo.org)

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zookeepers say the only elephant at the Los Angeles Zoo was grunting, squeaking and chirping in the hours after two female elephants from the San Diego Zoo moved in.

Tina and Jewel arrived at the $42 million Elephants of Asia exhibit Wednesday night.

Keepers told City News Service that 25-year-old Billy, alone since 2006, answered noises coming from the females, who have lived together for 25 years.

Animal rights activists have criticized the zoo’s care of elephants, saying a dozen have died there since 1968. They also say the zoo’s new enclosure is too depressing and confining, but the courts have rejected their challenges.

Billy The Elephant Greets 2 New Females At LA Zoo

Corinne

Billy, Tina, and Jewel should all be sent to a sanctuary! It’s cruel to keep elephants in zoos.
thea

I LUUUV animals!
bob

Elephant sancutaries do not welcome bull elphants.Research shows that bulls are confined to small areas and not allowed to roam freely
Lance

Bob, stop spreading lies. PAWS has been trying to rescue Billy for years. Bob Barker even offered to pay for transportation.

Even if they he couldn’t roam PAWS freely at least he would be under the watch of people who actually care. I’ve seen Billy in person and that head bobbing sure is disturbing to watch. I grew up appreciating zoo’s like most kids but if knew education was coming at the expense of unhappy animals I would never have gone. Not today…not when i was a kid.
Cheryl

These 3 elephants belong at PAWS in Northern CA. NOT A ZOO
dude

This new exhibit is awesome!!!

These “animal rights” people need to check it out! Waterfalls, lakes, varying terrain, state of the art barn.
Mary

The new exhibit is wonderful! It seems to be large enough for the three elephants. I have seen in before the elephants came. I am looking forward to seeing it with the elephants living there.
Diane edwards

There is not enough room for the elephants. They belong in a sanctuary. Have. You heard of elephant sanctuary. – Tennessee. It is wonderful
http://toronto-on.ca/2011/02/%e2%80%98get-all-the-elephants-out-of-canada%e2%80%99-bob-barker/ ‘Get all the elephants out of Canada’: Bob Barker | Toronto-ON.ca

[...] it’s too small. They built this thing knowing it wasn’t big enough, and they’ve brought in two more elephants! At least Billy has some company [...]
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/08/03/harvard-westlake-teens-efforts-behind-elephant-awareness-day/ Harvard-Westlake Teen’s Efforts Behind ‘Elephant Awareness Day’ « CBS Los Angeles

[...] age 13, West joined the campaign to free Asian elephant Billy from the Los Angeles Zoo — an effort with which West is still involved [...]