Cher
Get L.A. Elephants Help, Not Tulsa!
Urges Mayor Bass to Save Beloved Billy & Tina
Published
Cher is using her starpower for the good of Los Angeles’ beloved zoo elephants Tina and Billy again … signing a letter sent to Mayor Karen Bass to demand the beloved creatures be transferred from the L.A. Zoo to a sanctuary — and not to the Tulsa, Oklahoma zoo as planned.
Cher appears on the list signed by several celebs — such as Alicia Silverstone, Diane Warren, Katherine Heigl, Nicola Peltz Beckham and Justin Theroux — that was delivered to L.A.’s mayor Monday to advocate for the health and well-being of the zoo’s longtime resident elephants.
The letter argues the arranged transfer of Billy and Tina to Tulsa to join five other Asian elephants will only worsen their suffering, and that they deserve to be released to a proper elephant sanctuary so they can “live their twilight years with liberty and dignity.”
The Los Angeles Zoo has been under fire for years over its tight elephant enclosure … and the letter to Mayor Bass even claims Tina and Billy have symptoms of zoochosis — a mental illness that can develop in animals held in captivity, per In Defense of Animals — such as “functionless, repetitive motions such as rocking, swaying and head bobbing.”
The letter argues that even though the Tulsa Zoo may have a bit more room for Tina and Billy, “it is nearly impossible to humanely keep elephants in traditional zoos.”
Even more, the letter says the transfer is a waste of money — costing taxpayers $44,000 during a time when Mayor Bass is slashing jobs to save cash.
The letter states there is a “dire urgency” for action, as the transfer is expected to take place any day, exemplified by the shackles around their legs.
TMZ has reached out to the L.A. Zoo and Mayor Bass for comment … so far, no word back.
The pressing letter comes less than two weeks after Cher publicly expressed her support of L.A. resident John Kelly‘s lawsuit to block the move.
Similar to the letter … Cher said at the time, Billy and Tina deserve a peaceful end to their lives after being confined for decades.
Cher’s support did not sway a judge’s opinion … ’cause after the lawsuit, a judge blocked a temporary restraining order seeking to stop the elephants’ move to Oklahoma.