On January 28, 2009 the Los Angeles City Council voted, with a majority -- 11 to 4, to continue construction for the Pachyderm Forest at the LA Zoo and allow Billy the Asian Elephant to stay. Click here to check out the LA Times article.
This is not only a victory for the LA Zoo and the Los Angeles area, but also for conservation efforts put forth by zoos. The LA Zoo team should be proud of their hard work and dedication to this project!
Friday, January 30, 2009
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No wonder the City of Los Angeles is in economic trouble, and facing a huge financial deficit! City officials are moving forward with spending $42 million on a new home for elephants, while taxpayers are being hit with layoffs, and are struggling to keep their homes.
ReplyDeleteUnemployment has reached an all-time high. The state is out of money and the City of Los Angeles is operating in the red.
If the City of Los Angeles has money to waste on building cramped shelters for elephants, what is it doing for its taxpaying residents in foreclosure or who are losing their homes?
Billy would be better off at the PAWS sanctuary where he would have ample room to exercise, and the City could have shaved millions off of the deficit.
Taxpayers (just like elephants) have very good memories, especially at the polls. We'll remember this at election-time.
If you are interested in the story of Billy the elephant (or other captive elephants for that matter), I highly recommend reading Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond. It is a fictitious story with very similar facts to the Billy debacle. Google it. Well worth the read if you are interested in this story.
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