LOS ANGELES — Billy, an Asian elephant who has lived at the Los Angeles Zoo for more than three decades, is suffering from his time in captivity and should be moved to an elephant sanctuary, an L.A. City Council committee recommends.
The Personnel, Audits, and Animal Welfare Committee on Tuesday approved a motion, proposed by Chairman Paul Koretz, that alleges several of Billy's health issues can be linked to his zoo environment.
"For many years before the opening of the current Elephants of Asia exhibit he was placed alone in a small enclosure where he was kept on hard surfaces not considered beneficial for his feet and joints, and allegedly received a lack of sufficient exercise and stimulation," the motion reads. "Billy long has been exhibiting abnormal (stereotypic) behavioral patterns many elephant experts characterize as indicating detrimental mental health impacts from that environment."
