Two lawsuits tried to stop the Los Angeles Zoo from moving its last two Asian elephants, Billy and Tina, to the Tulsa Zoo in May 2025, and both failed. The LA Zoo elephant transfer lawsuit filed by resident John Kelly under California’s Unfair Competition Law was denied a temporary restraining order on May 15, 2025, and a separate habeas corpus petition brought by the Nonhuman Rights Project was denied on June 12, 2025. The elephants arrived in Tulsa on May 21, 2025.
Why the Zoo Said the Transfer Had to Happen
The LA Zoo’s herd had shrunk. Jewel was euthanized in 2023 and Shaunzi in 2024, leaving Billy and Tina alone. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums requires accredited facilities to maintain a minimum of three Asian elephants, and zoo officials said they could not acquire additional animals to meet that threshold.1Los Angeles Times. As Tina Falls Ill, Samuel L. Jackson Calls for Sanctuary for Former LA Zoo Elephants
In April 2025 the zoo announced it would pause its elephant program and relocate Billy and Tina to Tulsa on the recommendation of the AZA’s Elephant Species Survival Plan. Zoo officials said they had considered AZA-accredited sanctuaries before choosing Tulsa based on space, staff, and the existing herd.2NBC Los Angeles. Los Angeles Zoo Elephants on the Road to Tulsa
The Kelly Lawsuit
John Kelly, described in court filings as a longtime LA resident and animal lover, filed suit on or around May 9, 2025 in Los Angeles Superior Court, represented by attorney Melissa Lerner of Lavely & Singer. The defendant was Zoo Director and CEO Denise Verret. The complaint brought claims under California Business and Professions Code Section 17200, the state’s Unfair Competition Law, alleging an “unlawful, unfair or fraudulent business act or practice and unfair, deceptive, untrue or misleading advertising.”3ABC7 Los Angeles. Los Angeles Zoo Being Sued Over Plans to Transfer Elephants Billy and Tina to Tulsa
Kelly’s theory of standing was economic. He said he had donated money to the zoo based on representations that the elephants would go to a “preserve” or sanctuary, and that describing the Tulsa facility as a preserve was misleading.4KTUL. Lawsuit Challenges LA Zoo’s Plan to Transfer Elephants to Tulsa Zoo, Claims Deceit The complaint called the elephants’ living conditions “abysmal,” alleged they suffered from “zoochosis” caused by confinement, and argued that the public and elected officials had been shut out of the decision.5Los Angeles Times. L.A. Resident Sues to Stop Transfer of Elephants Billy and Tina to the Tulsa Zoo
The suit asked for a preliminary injunction to stop the transfer and a permanent injunction directing the elephants to an accredited sanctuary. It included a declaration from singer Cher, who said Billy and Tina “deserve the chance to live out their lives in peace and dignity” at a sanctuary rather than another zoo.5Los Angeles Times. L.A. Resident Sues to Stop Transfer of Elephants Billy and Tina to the Tulsa Zoo
The TRO Denial
Kelly’s team filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order. On May 15, 2025, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant denied it. According to Lerner, the judge concluded that the dispute would be “better handled through the City Council rather than in the courts” and encouraged concerned members of the public to contact their council representatives and Mayor Karen Bass.6ABC7 Los Angeles. Judge Denies Emergency Request to Stop Transfer of LA Zoo Elephants Billy and Tina to Tulsa
Lerner called the ruling a “setback” but said it was “not the end,” telling reporters her team planned to assess next steps and continue the litigation.7Press Democrat. Judge Denies Emergency Motion to Stop Transfer of Los Angeles Zoo Elephants Billy and Tina
The Zoo’s Position
The LA Zoo referred questions to the City Attorney’s Office, which declined to comment on pending litigation.3ABC7 Los Angeles. Los Angeles Zoo Being Sued Over Plans to Transfer Elephants Billy and Tina to Tulsa In public statements, the zoo defended the relocation as a “difficult decision” made in accordance with AZA recommendations and said “activist agendas” are “rightfully not a consideration in decisions that impact animal care.”8Los Angeles Times. Emergency Motion to Stop Transfer of Billy and Tina Elephants From LA Zoo
In a sworn declaration, Verret said decisions about animal care and relocations fell under her authority as Zoo Director under the Los Angeles City Charter. She warned that if an outside body forced a different outcome, the zoo risked losing its AZA accreditation, citing the 2012 revocation of the Toronto Zoo’s accreditation after that city’s council overruled its zoo board on an elephant transfer.7Press Democrat. Judge Denies Emergency Motion to Stop Transfer of Los Angeles Zoo Elephants Billy and Tina9CBC News. Toronto Zoo Loses International Accreditation
The Habeas Corpus Petition
The Nonhuman Rights Project filed a separate common law habeas corpus petition on May 16, 2025 in Los Angeles Superior Court. It sought legal recognition of Billy and Tina as autonomous beings with a right to bodily liberty and asked that they be moved to an accredited sanctuary. Eight expert declarations on elephant cognition and behavior accompanied the filing.10Nonhuman Rights Project. Billy and Tina
The petition ran into procedural trouble. The organization said court clerks rejected it five times before it was accepted in the criminal division on May 20, 2025 and assigned to Judge William C. Ryan.10Nonhuman Rights Project. Billy and Tina By then the elephants had already left Los Angeles. On May 29 the group filed a supplemental motion arguing the court kept jurisdiction because the elephants remained in the constructive custody of the City of Los Angeles and its zoo director.
On June 12, 2025 Judge Ryan summarily denied the petition. In his memorandum, Ryan held that the plain language of California Penal Code Section 1473 limits habeas corpus relief to “persons,” which the court defined as human beings. He cited the 2022 New York Court of Appeals decision in Nonhuman Rights Project, Inc. v. Breheny, agreeing that habeas corpus “is not the appropriate forum to resolve disputes concerning the confinement of nonhuman animals,” and said updating animal welfare protections is a job for the legislature, not the judiciary.11Nonhuman Rights Project. Order Denying Writ of Habeas Corpus, Case No. 25CJHC00060-01
The Nonhuman Rights Project said afterward it was “assessing all legal options for moving forward.”12Nonhuman Rights Project. What Happened to Billy and Tina
What Happened After the Courts Said No
The LA Zoo moved forward. On May 21, 2025 the zoo confirmed Billy and Tina had arrived safely at the Tulsa Zoo after a 26-hour road trip.2NBC Los Angeles. Los Angeles Zoo Elephants on the Road to Tulsa1Los Angeles Times. As Tina Falls Ill, Samuel L. Jackson Calls for Sanctuary for Former LA Zoo Elephants13Free to Be Elephants. Tina
At Tulsa the two joined a herd of five other Asian elephants at what the facility calls a 17-acre elephant complex. The Nonhuman Rights Project has said the complex includes a large barn, interpretation center, and viewing infrastructure, and that a 10-acre wooded “preserve” section consists of federally protected wetlands not currently accessible to the elephants.12Nonhuman Rights Project. What Happened to Billy and Tina
LA City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield had filed a motion in April 2025 asking the council to pause the relocation and consider sanctuary alternatives, and returned in September 2025 with a follow-up motion seeking transparency about a transfer he called “rushed” and conducted “in the dead of night.”14San Fernando Sun. Councilman Says LA Zoo Should Consider All Options for Asian Elephants Relocation15Times of San Diego. LA Councilman Calls for Transparency on Transfer of Elephants
In March 2026 the Tulsa Zoo disclosed that Tina was suffering from a serious uterine infection and abnormal fluid buildup tied to chronic reproductive tract disease, a condition the zoo said she had a history of before her arrival. The zoo described the condition as having the “potential to become life-threatening” and said antibiotics alone would not fully resolve it, though Tina remained “bright and engaged.”16Tulsa Zoo. Tina Update Actor Samuel L. Jackson joined more than 10,000 people in signing a letter organized by In Defense of Animals to the Tulsa Zoo’s president demanding the elephants be released to a sanctuary. “Continued exploitation and denial of their freedom is making them worse, and time is running out!” Jackson said in a statement.17KTLA. Elephant Moved From L.A. Zoo Faces Serious Medical Diagnosis