The Ridglan victory proved that working together, protestors, rescuers, world wide supporters, animal groups and wealthy individuals can result in freedom for animals trapped in cages, like the precious beagle pups, who are now free. There is no reason we cannot do the same for Billy and Tina, two beloved elephants that we and activists all over the country have worked hard for many years in order to win their release to a sanctuary.
Unfortunately, all of the legal maneuvering, the protests, the petitions, the testifying in front of the LA City Council have resulted in the continued incarceration of Billy and Tina. They were imprisoned for many years in the LA Zoo and then, on the verge of activists convincing the city council to send them to a sanctuary, Mayor Karen Bass and Denise Verret stole Billy and Tina out of the zoo and shipped them to the Tulsa Zoo in the middle of the night.
Cher, Lily Tomlin, and Samuel L. Jackson have shown great sympathy for Billy and Tina and have spoken out and made videos exposing the suffering of our elephants and begged for their release to a sanctuary. But their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Now they have a chance, before Billy and Tina die in Tulsa, to use their celebrity and support from millions of fans to convince the city of Tulsa to free them.
Using the Ridgland example, this petition asks these three celebrities to form a high net worth buyout coalition with wealthy animal organizations and individuals and offer the city of Tulsa funds for their zoo infrastructure on strict legal conditions: Billy and Tina must immediately be released to a sanctuary, none of the money can be used to buy animals, specifically, no more elephants can be bought or bred, and when the last elephant in the Tulsa Zoo dies, the elephant exhibit shuts down.
The mayor and council members in Tulsa must be made to understand that keeping elephants incarcerated in zoos is a dying tradition. The public is aware of the suffering these large animals are experiencing being forced to live in small areas that do not provide the hundreds of square miles they need to maintain their health.
The best thing Tulsa can do is release all the elephants immediately but right now our focus is on Billy and Tina who have spent their entire lives in daily misery. We made a promise to them to never give up trying to free them as long as they are alive. Right now, that opportunity is presenting itself to Cher, Tomlin, and Jackson who can use their fame and good fortune to form this coalition.
We know that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums fight hard to keep elephants caged in zoos. Their interest is strictly in money, and they believe elephants are profit making machines. But with a huge offer of funds to Tulsa, their objections can be overcome. The three celebrities and their lawyers just need to be convincing and determined. And if enough people sign this petition maybe we can convince Cher, Tomlin, and Jackson, that the time for begging is over. It’s time to take a further step, and following the Ridglan example, they can finally free Billy and Tina. Please click on the link below and sign.
DO NOT FORGET ABOUT BILLY AND TINA
We promised we would not forget them as long as they are alive.
Here again are some of the people to contact to get Billy and Tina moved out of the Tulsa Zoo and into a sanctuary. If you’ve already taken action, please do it again. The City Council needs to hear from you. Go to our site to see to several links to their emails. www.kindnessandscience.org They completely failed our elephants while Billy and Tina were in the LA Zoo, the least they can do is use their power and influence to persuade the Tulsa Zoo to move them to a sanctuary.
Contact the President and CEO of the Tulsa Zoo, Lindsey Hutchison. Her personal email has been shut down so you can email her at pr@tulsazoo.org. You can also email volunteers@tulsazoo.org. These volunteers, like the volunteers at the LA Zoo, facilitate the imprisonment of animals in zoos and always showed up at the city council meetings to testify against rescuing Billy from the zoo. The phone number for the Tulsa Zoo is 918-669-6600. Tell Lindsey Hutchison she must release Billy and Tina and all the elephants at the Tulsa Zoo to a sanctuary. Tell her she must not allow Billy and Tina to die without ever having had a chance for a normal life.
In Defense of Animals has a petition to move Billy and Tina and the five other elephants out of the Tulsa Zoo to a sanctuary! Please sign. https://tinyurl.com/yp93bb2s
Thank you for keeping the calls coming in to councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson at 213-473-7008 and asking him to put Motion 25-0446 on the floor so the City Council can vote to send Billy and Tina to a sanctuary. Tina, who belonged to the city of San Diego, was sold by them to the Tulsa Zoo. Despite living under the auspices of the AZA Billy was never sold and still belongs to us and both elephants must be moved together to a sanctuary. Harris-Dawson’s email is councilmember.harris-dawson@lacity.org.
