Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens Los Angeles Elephant Sanctuary

mstickmanp said:
The main reason for the delay of the exhibit is mainly due to money. The main problem was that The Portico Group actually designed the exhibit and it exceeded the budget, so they actually had to redesign it (I think). That's also the reason why the other projects have been delayed.
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This happens to pretty much every project. Normal business. Then the designers and zoo will spend weeks or months costing everything out, deciding what parts of the exhibit to jettison or delay. Then cost it all out again. Etc. Etc. This sort of thing can go on for a few weeks or, in some cases, years with any project.
I would guess that the effect of the protests will be to just get the darn thing built ASAP no matter what.
 
The zoo's website has put up more info about the exhibit.

Pachyderm Forest - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

The 30% of the exhibit that has already been built looks a lot better now. There is grass growing and some new plants have been planted both inside and outside the exhibit. I think Billy might be ready to move in to the exhibit soon because I noticed two gigantic pumpkins, melons and sweet potatoes (or carrots) scattered through out the new exhibit. I'll try to post some pics by tomorrow.

As far as the plan to stop construction and sending Billy to a sanctuary is still possible. There was a meeting today at noon by the Budget and Finance Committee which will decide the fate of Billy and the exhibit.
 
Interesting that the zoo has announced on the weblink that mstickmanp posted that they are planning on starting off with 1 male and 3 female elephants, but then state that the herd size could fluctuate according to AZA recommendations. Having 4 elephants on 3.6 acres isn't too bad at all in terms of space, but isn't that considerably less than what was originally declared a couple of years ago?
 
I do believe that Los Angeles intends to eventually have more 4 elephants can easily become 7 elephants within 3-5 years. And they did say they were starting with 1.3 elephants...
 
oh dear!

having said before in the previous article having 4 elephants and them giving birth can become round 7 or so, one of the first articles I read on this said they were planning to hold 10 adult elephant though!
 
Baby elephants grow up and its important for zoos to be able to hold and maintain the animals they produce...especially since female elephants are so gregarious, zoos should plan to have many in the herd and maybe even two breeding bulls.
 
Great point you bring up, but I was reffering when they didn't even have the Sanctuary down as an idea and thinking that 10 elephants in an area that small can't be good.
 
I don't think the zoo ever meant that they were going to have 10 adults at once. I think they meant once the babies grew up.

I'm mad that the committee voted against the exhibit. What I'm more mad about is that Billy will be the one that suffers the most. If the exhibit is really stopped for good he will have to leave the zoo that he grew up in and the keepers that have been with him for years. Even though those people want the best for animals, in this case they are making it worst.
 
What a fiasco, this upsets me greatly. The city council should not be in a place to be judging the ethics of keeping elephants in captivity. This should be left to the people they employ to make decisions regarding animal husbandry.
 
I really hope that Billy stays to become a sire, he is a great looking bull and out of America he and Sneezy in Tulsa zoo are "apparently" the two most genetically valuable bulls.
 
I agree with you Ituri, the city council should of just let the exhibit be built, it's not like the city of Los Angeles just recently started having financial problems.
 
I really don't think 3.6 acres is too small for 10 elephants. SDWAP has 11 elephants on 3 acres and the elephants per space does not really make a difference. It's better to have a lot of elephants in a smaller space like 2 acres than 1 elephant in a much larger space like 5 acres. It's more important that they are experiencing the herd structure that elephants live in than space. The keepers make sure they are getting the correct exercise.
 
Hard to explain what I actually mean, but it somewhat surprises me that so much controversy has been raised with this when other zoos with worst situations have done it easily. Probably sounds really confusing. sorry..
 
dragon(ele)nerd said:
Hard to explain what I actually mean, but it somewhat surprises me that so much controversy has been raised with this when other zoos with worst situations have done it easily. Probably sounds really confusing. sorry..
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To expand on okapikpr's reply: On the one hand, other zoos here do not have it easy (the Dallas Zoo faced very similar opposition).And both are controlled by city parks departments and therefore ... politicians!
But on the other hand, this is California where "animal activists" actually have enough political clout to get a Councilman's support.
 
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