Change — Not Liberation: Tina and Billy’s Next Chapter

An important update has emerged in the campaign to free Tina and Billy, the last two Asian elephants still confined at the Los Angeles Zoo — a facility consistently ranked among the worst in North America for elephant welfare.

After years of relentless advocacy and public pressure, the L.A. Zoo has finally announced plans for Tina and Billy, but not the future they deserve. Instead of true freedom at a sanctuary, they are being sent to another zoo.

If the plan moves forward, 59-year-old Tina and 40-year-old Billy will be transferred to the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma. While Tulsa’s elephant habitat is an improvement over the cramped enclosures at the L.A. Zoo, and they will at last have the chance to live with other elephants, this change is far less than justice. No animal should be imprisoned for human entertainment, and Tina and Billy deserve to live out their lives in true sanctuary, with space, dignity, and freedom.

The L.A. Zoo’s decision to send them to another zoo is a betrayal, not only of Tina and Billy, but of everyone who has fought for their release.

Species Unite will not back down. We will never stop fighting for Tina and for all elephants suffering in captivity.

In response to this announcement we will deliver over 33,000 petition signatures directly to the L.A. Zoo to protest their shameful decision. Please add your name if you haven’t already. You can also leave a comment on the L.A. Zoo’s Instagram (@lazoo) or send them a private message demanding true freedom for Tina and Billy.

Their story isn’t over. And neither is our fight.