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Billy, the one elephant at the Los Angeles Zoo is said to have some pathological problems, an expert said yesterday. LAist commenters agreed. "Every single time I've been to the zoo here the elephant has been doing the same thing. Bobbing his head and sort of rocking side to side," one wrote. "Anyone that looks can see the space is tiny and boring. It's like watching the super depressing chained elephant scenes from Dumbo."
"He also walks in circles. It's really sad to watch," another chimed in.
A $40 million 6-acre exhibit is set to open next year. The new Pachyderm Forest can hold up to five adult Asian elephants and three of their offspring. Officials say the exhibit will be spacious--three and a half acres will be available for them to roam around along with two pools and a waterfall.
Councilman Tony Cardenas wants to shut down the construction of the Pachyderm Forest and search for a 60-acre wildlife sanctuary for elephants. The idea was not approved by a City Council Committee last month.
In New York City, the Bronx Zoo will close their elephant exhibit if one or two of the three elephants die, citing that "only two elephants alone might be uneasy (three's is company) and only one elephant in the exhibit is 'inhumane,'" Gothamist reported in 2006. Here in Los Angeles, Billy is the only elephant.
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they should really let him go... in Venice
I didn't comment but I don't agree that a "preserve" or "sanctuary" or whatever manufactured utopia is going to be the automagical solution to Billy's issues.
I'm all for Billy being in the best place to better ensure his health and well-being and I say that place can be the zoo and its new habitat.
Anyone who thinks it's a total cure-all to take a pachyderm out of the place he's known for so long and install him on 60-acres is a little too caught up in the idyllic hype. Transitioning Billy between the two places could be problematic and stressful and in the end he may wind up in a small corner of his huge new environment rocking and bobbing and walking in circles.
6 acres is not a lot of land at all.
When I was looking for a field to rent for a horse I used to own, I was told that I needed about 6 acres per horse.
AND he's alone?! Just fucking sad. and way fucking wrong.
There is reason why Billy is presently living alone. Even when there were other elephants there he was kept separate from them in part because he is of prime breeding age and the other elephants were African, whereas he is an Asian elephant.
The L.A. Zoo's plan is to populate the new habitat with Asian elephants with Billy as the patriarch.
The paradox that exists is that should the City Council decide to shut down construction on the exhibit and instead try then to find the large amount of money that would be needed to plan, construct and staff a brand new secure 60-acre facility, Billy will be alone that much longer.
What happened to the elephant rides at the zoo? That was my most favorite thing as a kid. I am assuming that it was shut down because of a lawsuit or something. Unless it was determined to be bad for the elephants, maybe they should start it again to give Billy something to do all day.
Rainiak, I remember those elephant rides. Indeed the zoo shut them down (back in the 1980s... maybe the early 1990s) not because of a lawsuit but because it was rightfully decided that exploiting the zoos animals for such purposes went against its mission.
And just so you know. Billy is cared for by his keepers until full protected contact. He would be a great choice for zoo patrons to ride if the zoo wanted to get people killed.
I hope the LA Zoo has some plans to socialize this precious animal. It's like solitary confinement! Of course you'd go nuts. It's not fair. They NEED companionship. It's extremely cruel. The new diggs they're building him is great, and I'm sure probably just as good as a sanctuary, but he needs some family for God's sake!
If they have no plans to add additional Asian elephants, then they need to do the right thing, and let him go to the sanctuary.