Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens Los Angeles Elephant Sanctuary

It is an awesome website. Ahhhh!! I hate IDA, why do they have to ruin something as so awesome as a zoo.
 
BlackRhino said:
It is an awesome website. Ahhhh!! I hate IDA, why do they have to ruin something as so awesome as a zoo.
Click to expand...

I agree, if it wasn't for IDA (and the other animal activist protesting against the LA zoo), Billy would had been in his new exhibit since 2005. Even Gita would have enjoyed the new exhibit before her death.
 
And Gita could have started to recover by being in a large, stimulating, lush, natural exhibit and lived longer and not have given the zoo more bad publicity.
 
BlackRhino said:
And Gita could have started to recover by being in a large, stimulating, lush, natural exhibit and lived longer and not have given the zoo more bad publicity.
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She was actually already healing from the successful operation and her death was not related to the operation.
 
Elephant exhibit

The problem with LA Zoo is the way the management handles the public. San diego Zoo is building a elephant exhibit without all the hassle. When we attempted to offer funding for Chico the meerkat, we were rebuffed and told they were waiting for him to die. This is why there is them against us mentality. The zoo has good keepers and they try but PR and upper management is the pits. It's all about how you handle people. I would have sent Billy to the sanctuary while building the exhibit, he could have socialized and then returned he and ruby to a finished exhibit. The San diego exhibit is smaller and no protests.
 
It may also help that San Diego (i believe) isnt receiving any public funding to build their elephant exhibit. But like you said, Los Angeles doesnt quite handle the press very well...
 
Another way to help

As mstickmanp wrote, the meeting to decide the future of the Pachyderm Forest was rescheduled - it will be held in one week (next Wednesday, January 28). The support on ZooChat for the online poll was overwhelming. I just received this message from a colleague at the LA Zoo, and thought I would pass it on. They are requesting emails/phone calls to the city councillors to show support for the exhibit ... a lot more involved than a simple mouse click, but still a way to help.

Please pass this email around to friends, family and coworkers and ask them to contact the below city council members. If you only have the time to contact a few them then please stick to Huizar, Reyes, Parks, Weiss, Wesson and Rosendahl. The final vote will be next Wednesday and we need to bombard the LA City Council in order to defeat the animal rights activists. All you have to do is email or call the below City Council Members and let them know that you are in favor of the LA Zoo continuing the construction of its elephant exhibit.

A simple email or phone call saying "I support the Pachyderm Forest at the Los Angeles Zoo" is all you need to do.

If you are interested in learning more about the LA Zoos elephant program then please visit Billyshome.com. Thanks in advance for your support.

District 1: Ed Reyes
(213) 473-7001
Councilmember.Reyes@lacity.org

District 2: Wendy Greuel
(213) 473-7002
Councilmember.Greuel@lacity.org

District 3: Dennis P. Zine
(213) 473-7003
Councilmember.Zine@lacity.org

District 4: Tom LaBonge
(213) 473-7004
Councilmember.LaBonge@lacity.org

District 5: Jack Weiss
(213) 473-7005
Councilmember.Weiss@lacity.org

District 6: Tony Cardenas
(213) 473-7006
Councilmember.Cardenas@lacity.org

District 7: Richard Alarcón
(213) 473-7007
To email Councilmember Alarcón, visit
Welcome To Council District 7: Councilmember Richard Alarcón and
fill out the contact form.

District 8: Bernard Parks
(213) 473-7008
Councilmember.Parks@lacity.org

District 9: Jan Perry
(213) 473-7009
Councilmember.Perry@lacity.org

District 10: Herb J. Wesson, Jr.
(213) 473-7010
Councilmember.Wesson@lacity.org

District 11: Bill Rosendahl
(213) 473-7011
Councilmember.Rosendahl@lacity.org

District 12: Greig Smith
(213) 473-7012
Councilmember.Smith@lacity.org

District 13: Eric Garcetti (Council President)
(213) 473-7013
Councilmember.Garcetti@lacity.org

District 14: José Huizar
(213) 473-7014
Councilmember.Huizar@lacity.org

District 15: Janice Hahn
(213) 473-7015
Councilmember.Hahn@lacity.org
 
By the way, I just heard this: GUESS who the IDA is bringing into Los Angeles next week to testify as an "expert" on behalf of the anti-Zoo people? Hint: He's a former Woodland Park Zoo director, and he now lives in Australia.

What does everyone think of this?
 
ANyhuis said:
By the way, I just heard this: GUESS who the IDA is bringing into Los Angeles next week to testify as an "expert" on behalf of the anti-Zoo people? Hint: He's a former Woodland Park Zoo director, and he now lives in Australia.
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Correction: He was there this past week, paid for by the IDA.
 
Here is his "solution":

A few national zoos in appropriate climates that tourists from all over the country can visit. "There are two Disney parks," he says. "That's enough for America's children. Similarly, two really good spots for elephants in the country would be sufficient."
(Animal Rights Information and News Resource Blog - Companion Blog for www.geari.org: 06/01/2006 - 07/01/2006)

Of course the TWO "national zoos" he's speaking of are the non-AZA accredited sanctuaries in California and Tennessee. The California sanctuary is way out in the country and costs over $200 per person to enter to see the elephants. How many people (or children) are going to go way out of the way and pay that much to see elephants?
 
okapikpr said:
Well, several million do just that for Mickey Mouse...
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That was "tongue in cheek", right? You're not suggesting, I'm guessing, that millions of American families will cross the country to either Tennessee or California just to see elephants, are you? Plus, DisneyWorld is a "bargain" (about $65/day) compared to admission to the California sanctuary (>$200).
 
Thanks for posting the link Zooplantman, as I just read the well-written article. With the mention of Oakland Zoo's 6-acre exhibit, and with North Carolina (7 acres), Los Angeles and the National Zoo both around 4 acres, then all of a sudden "Elephant Odyssey" at the San Diego Zoo with a proposed 8 elephants on 2.5 acres is looking a little cramped in comparison. Before anyone says anything I realize that size is definitely not everything in an excellent pachyderm habitat, and I truly love the San Diego Zoo...but their brand new elephant paddock is probably not as large as it really should be. The trend is definitely for 4 acres and more in numerous new exhibits, but at least San Diego are taking a huge step forward from the decades old "Elephant Mesa".
 
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