1. Attend Events and Meetings

  1. Know the Truth, and Inform Others

  1. WRITE/CALL THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS!
 

"I have believed for some time that a zoo is not an appropriate place for an animal as large as an elephant.  As mayor of the City of Los Angeles, I'm certainly going to work toward that goal, I think we need to move the elephants out. Many of the problems that you see with elephants here at the Los Angeles Zoo -- but also at zoos across the country -- have something to do with the confined space."

 - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

 Election campaign speech 5.05

Please continue to write and call city council members. Get five or more of your friends and colleagues to write and call as well. It's critical that city council members continue to hear from the public in support of closing the elephant exhibit at LA Zoo.

 

SAMPLE MESSAGE (please personalize; let your council member know that you are a constituent):

I support halting construction of the $42 million elephant exhibit at L.A. Zoo and sending the elephant, Billy, to a sanctuary. Please don't waste precious taxpayer dollars on an elephant exhibit that still won't give elephants the room they need. I urge you to vote to stop construction of the exhibit and to send Billy to a spacious elephant sanctuary, where he can live a life closer to what nature intended.

 

If you don't live in the City of L.A., please contact the mayor and L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti (contact info provided below) and express your support for closing the elephant exhibit and sending Billy to a sanctuary.


PRIORITY CALLS


 DISTRICT 1

Ed Reyes

Phone: 213-473-7001

Fax: 213-485-8907
 DISTRICT 3

Dennis P. Zine

Phone: 213-473-7003

Fax: 213-485-8988

 DISTRICT 8

Bernard Parks

Phone: 213-473-7008

Fax: 213-485-7683
 DISTRICT 6

Tony Cardenas

Phone: 213-473-7006

Fax: 213-847-0549
 DISTRICT 7

Richard Alarcon

Phone: 213-473-7007

Fax: 213-847-0707
 DISTRICT 9

Jan Perry

Phone: 213-473-7009

Fax: 213-473-5946
 DISTRICT 14

Jose Huizar

Phone: 213-473-7014

Fax: 213-847-0680
 DISTRICT 5

Jack Weiss

Phone: 213-473-7005

Fax: 213-978-2250
 DISTRICT 10

Herb J. Wesson, Jr.

Phone: 213-473-7010

Fax: 213-485-9829
 DISTRICT 11

Bill Rosendahl

Phone: 213-473-7011

Fax: 213-473-6926

 DISTRICT 13

Eric Garcetti

Phone: 213-473-7013

Fax: 213-613-0819

SECONDARY CALLS 

(Council members who appear to strongly favor keeping elephants at L.A. Zoo)


 DISTRICT 2

Wendy Greuel

Phone: 213-473-7002

Fax: 213-680-7895
 DISTRICT 4

Tom LaBonge

Phone: 213-473-7004

Fax: 213-624-7810
 DISTRICT 12

Greig Smith

Phone: 213-473-7012

Fax: 213-473-6925

 DISTRICT 15

Janice Hahn

Phone: 213-473-7015

Fax: 213-626-5431


Call and write the Mayor as well, using the message points below:


 

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Los Angeles City Hall

200 N. Spring St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213-978-0600

Fax: 213-978-0750

MESSAGE POINTS:


  • 13 elephants have died in the LA Zoo since 1975.  More than half did not live to age 20.  The average lifespan of captive elephants is 40 years.  In the wild it can be up to 70 years.
  • The expanded exhibit approved by the City Council in 2006 will cost over $40 million.  The price does not include acquirement of the other 7 to 10 elephants, veterinarian costs, or general care for the elephants.
  • According to the 2005 City Administrative Officer report, operating costs associated with general care is about $114,000 per elephant.  Also according to the CAO report, the elephant Gita had a medical bill of about $8,000 per month.
  • Gita died less than two months after the Council voted for the expansion. The elephant Tara had died just two years earlier. Both had suffered severe foot ailments and chronic arthritis for years.
  • 12 cities across the nation have closed their elephant exhibits including Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Anchorage. International cities, like London and Edinburgh, have also closed their elephant exhibits.
  • 63 elephants in U.S. zoos have died since 2000. More than half of those elephants failed to reach age 40. An elephant's natural lifespan is 60-70 years.
  • According to a survey of 46% of zoos across the country, 62% of elephants in those zoos suffered from severe foot disease. 42% suffered from joint disorders including sever arthritis. Most of these conditions are due to standing on hard surfaces and inadequate exercise.
  • No American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) accredited zoos have ever lost their accreditation for closing down elephant exhibits.

Thank you for taking action to help rescue Billy and shut down the L.A. Zoo elephant exhibit!