Results tagged “elephant”

In an 11 to 4 vote, the LA City Council voted to continue construction on the the six-acre, $42-million Pachyderm Forest that has been a hot button issue between animal activists and well, other animal activists, since late October. The elephant issue dominated the meeting for more than two hours as both sides explained with extreme passion and reason why the council should vote their way. EARLIER: What celebrities including, Cher and Robert Culp, said at the meeting.

      

The battle over Billy's future home at the LA Zoo is contentious today at city council. A group of celebrities were the first to speak today and they were all against the continuation of the zoo's Pachyderm Forest. They rather "free billy" and see him go to a more open space, which they believe is better to Billy's livelihood. Here are excerpts from what each celebrity said:

The LA City Council is fielding general public comment right now, but behind them in a packed council chambers is are animal lovers, activists and experts waiting to speak on whether the six acre pachyderm forest exhibit for LA Zoo's lone elephant, Billy, should stay continue construction or continue to be on hold.

It's all on now! The zoo and others, who want to keep Billy from being ousted to some elephant sanctuary or elsewhere, just enlisted Slash from Guns n Roses for this video (and most recently got Jack Hanna on their side, too). And to make it a Happy Gilmore moment, the "Free Billy" folks have Bob Barker. Now, tap gloves.. go!

          

On Saturday morning, a group of animal activists took to the LA Zoo to let patrons know what the city is planning to do with their upcoming elephant exhibit and what the past has held for the elephants. The controversy over Billy, the sole elephant in the zoo, recently came back when City Councilmember Tony Cardenas--at the urging of activists--changed his position on an already under construction $42 million 6-acre pachyderm exhibit.

Brenda Scott Royce, the director of publications for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association who has written in defense of the zoo that wants to keep building their controversial pachyderm forest, has come out again on the Huffington Post against the activists clad in their "Free Billy" t-shirts.

How's this for timely? GLAZA, the friends-of group to the LA Zoo, announced late last night that they'll pay the $1.2 million annual debt service for the exhibit. Basically, that relieves the city's general fund of this debt and will allow construction to continue, they say. This comes right before the City Council will sit down today and possibly vote on the fate of the controversial elephant exhibit.

Yesterday, the LA City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee voted 3 to 2, recommending construction to halt on the LA Zoo's $42-million elephant exhibit. Originally given the go-ahead in 2006, Councilmember Tony Cardenas recently brought the issue back up saying that Billy, the lone zoo elephant, has pathological problems and that a city-owned elephant sanctuary would better suit him and any future elephants. The issue became heated with some of the largest crowds showing up to City Council meetings in recent memory. Yesterday's vote does not mean construction will stop, but is a heavy recommendation for when the full council votes on it. Those who support the exhibit going forward say USDA guidelines for sanctuaries are much less strict than those for zoos. The City's financial wing says stopping the exhibit after spending nearly $10 million also isn't such a good idea.

Brenda Scott Royce, director of publications for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, sounded off this weekend at Huffington Post about all the elephant talk going on these days. Animal activists and Councilman Tony Cardenas want the exhibit currently under construction to halt work and have a search a large expansive elephant sanctuary. Royce, along with others, believe the exhibit is just fine. Their point of view has not gotten as much press, so here's some of it.

Already under construction is a 6-acre elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. But tomorrow, the city council will take up a motion to stop the project. Animal friendly Councilman Tony Cardenas wants the city to develop a 60-acre elephant preserve instead. Joyce Poole, a pachyderm expert, said the zoo's elephant--Billy--is bobbing and swaying his head. "I know that some people believe that elephants do that in the wild, but having observed elephants for many, many years, seeing perhaps 10,000 different individuals ... I have never seen head-bobbing and I have never seen swaying," Poole said. "This type of behavior is pathological. It is a result of being in a confined space."

Known as a friend to the animal community, Valley Councilman Tony Cardenas will propose closing the LA Zoo's elephant exhibit--that is only home to one pachyderm--and open a sanctuary in another part of the city, such as the foothills on the edge of the city. The problem with the current exhibit is space, according to Cardenas, who has changed his mind after he voted for the expansion of the exhibit last Spring. "They want to put as many as 10 elephants there. It's only three acres of roaming space. That is not enough for one elephant, much less 10," Cardenas said, per KNBC. "What people don't realize when they see elephants in a zoo is that they create these foot issues and arthritis that leads to their death."

...there will be no bubble after all.

Stunts come in all shapes and sizes, but the one planned for next week at the Santa Ana Zoo is absolutely elephantine--at least for one pachyderm named Tai.