Cher and Other Stars Tried to Stop L.A. Zoo Elephants’ ‘Unconscionable’ Relocation. Then, the Animals Vanished Overnight

• Elephants Billy and Tina disappeared from the Los Angeles Zoo on May 20, 2025, amid efforts to block the zoo’s plans to move them to the Tulsa Zoo

• The elephants were moved overnight and arrived in Tulsa on May 21, the L.A. Zoo confirmed to PEOPLE

• Cher and several other stars signed a letter urging L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to block the move and requesting that the elephants be allowed to retire at a sanctuary instead

Los Angeles Zoo fixtures Billy and Tina quietly disappeared from the elephant enclosure overnight, leaving their well-wishers frustrated and confused.

On Tuesday, May 20, zoogoers and animal advocacy groups like Social Compassion noticed that the elephant duo was missing from their habitat amid efforts to block the zoo’s plans to relocate the massive animals.

In April, after the L.A. Zoo announced plans to relocate Billy, 40, and Tina, 59, to the Tulsa Zoo, Cher and other stars signed a letter urging L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to allow the elephants to retire in a sanctuary. Obtained by TMZ, the letter seeks to prevent the beloved animals from “spending the rest of their life in inhumane zoo captivity.”

The letter argues that the Asian elephants “have suffered enough,” and moving them to another zoo is “unconscionable. “Along with politicians and advocacy groups, several other celebrities, including Alicia Silverstone, Justin Theroux, Katherine Heigl, Priscilla Presley, and Nicola Peltz Beckham, also signed it.

However, the letter was unsuccessful, and a judge denied a request to pause the relocation, per NBC4 Los Angeles, so the move went through as planned. Billy and Tina arrived in Tulsa on May 21, the L.A. Zoo confirmed to PEOPLE and noted in a “Elephant FAQs” page on its website.

According to the new section, the bonded pair, who have lived together for 15 years, arrived at the Oklahoma zoo early on Wednesday, May 21. As for the trip itself, the L.A. Zoo said the duo were transported overnight in “ventilated shipping containers” and wore special “bracelets” to “minimize the risk of injury.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, the L.A. Zoo also noted that “the L.A. Zoo elephant care team has traveled with the elephants and will continue to assist in their transition to their new companions and new home.”

A representative for Mayor Karen Bass did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The L.A. Zoo decided to relocate the elephants because the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) “requires accredited zoos to maintain a herd of at least three elephants because they are social animals, and keeping them in larger groups is crucial for their well-being,” the website states. And, following two elephant deaths in 2023 and 2024, the California zoo no longer met this standard.

After considering “all viable options” for the elephants — including sanctuaries — and consulting the AZA Elephant Species Survival Plan (SSP) and Taxon Advisory Group (TAG), L.A. Zoo decided on the Tulsa Zoo, which was the SSP’s “top recommendation,” per the FAQ section on the zoo’s website.

The elephants’ new home in Tulsa spans 17 acres, includes two barns and a 10-acre wooded preserve that is not open to public viewing, and currently houses five other Asian elephants, according to the L.A. Zoo’s website. However, the conditions are not satisfactory to all.

The letter urging Mayor Bass to stop the move — also signed by animal protection organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) — argues that despite being “slightly larger” than the elephants’ previous habitat, the new home is also “inhumane,” with many of its features inadequate and overcrowded.

In an official statement, Courtney Scott, an elephant consultant for IDA, said that it is “unfit for Billy and Tina — they should go to a true sanctuary instead of a fake ‘preserve.’ Tulsa Zoo was overcrowded with just three elephants in 2022, but adding Billy and Tina will make seven elephants jammed into an enclosure less than one percent the size of their natural range.”

“It’s neither right nor fair to send Billy and Tina to another zoo at taxpayer expense when several healing, spacious sanctuaries have been offered at no cost to the city,” Scott concluded.

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Prior to the elephants’ move, Bob Blumenfield, a L.A. city councilmember and longtime advocate for Billy and Tina, told the Los Angeles Times that the elephants’ situation was “disappointing and frustrating.”

“If it’s the right thing,” he told the outlet, “you should be proud of it and be willing to defend it and bring it forward for public vetting and do it at a scheduled time and not be cagey about it.”

As for whether Billy and Tina will ever return to California, the L.A. Zoo said it “will pause its elephant program for the immediate future due to the limited number of elephants in the AZA population.” The zoo added that, in the wake of the elephant pair’s move, the animals’ former habitat will “be reimagined for other suitable species and programming.”

Read the original article on People