Cher, 79, Pleads Against 'Inhumane' Treatment of Captive Elephants

Cher, Kim Basinger, and Nicola Peltz Beckham were among the 20 celebrities who signed a letter urging LA Mayor Karen Bass to transport two elderly Asian elephants to a sanctuary rather than the Tulsa Zoo.

The LA Zoo announced April 22 they were getting rid of their last two remaining elephants – Billy, a 40-year-old bull, and Tina, a 59-year-old female – after decades in captivity inside a 6.5-acre enclosure.

Both endangered animals were reportedly removed from the wild as babies as Billy was four-years-old when he arrived at the LA Zoo in 1989.

Tina was reportedly trafficked into the circus in 1969 at one-year-old and endured years of circus abuse before arriving at the LA Zoo in 2010.

‘They both exhibit symptoms of zoochosis – including functionless, repetitive motions such as rocking, swaying, and head bobbing,’ attorneys Martin Singer and Melissa Glass wrote Sunday in a letter obtained by TMZ.

‘We are informed that her transfer (and potentially the transfer of both Tina and Billy) will take place tonight or tomorrow under the cover of darkness and obfuscation. For weeks, Tina has been bound with shackles and now Billy is in chains like a prisoner too. This indicates that their transport is imminent.’

Cher (L), Kim Basinger (M), and Nicola Peltz Beckham (R) were among the 20 celebrities who signed a letter urging LA Mayor Karen Bass to transport two elderly Asian elephants to a sanctuary rather than the Tulsa Zoo

The LA Zoo announced April 22 they were getting rid of their last two remaining elephants – Billy (L), a 40-year-old bull, and Tina (R), a 59-year-old female – after decades in captivity inside a 6.5-acre enclosure

LA Zoo director Denise Verrett said moving Billy and Tina to the Tulsa Zoo would cost $44K, but the celeb supporters can ‘easily raise enough money to cover the cost of retiring Billy and Tina to true elephant sanctuaries.’

Both Kim and Nicola Instastoried desperate pleas on Tuesday for the 71-year-old Democratic politician as Basinger blasted: ‘These are social animals that need to be in a herd, not a prison cell! Where is your compassion?’

Meanwhile, Cher tweeted her support of John Kelly’s lawsuit on May 10 to block the elephants’ move, but a judge denied the temporary restraining order last Thursday.

The 79-year-old pop diva’s passion for pachyderms was previously captured in the Paramount+ 2021 documentary Cher & the Loneliest Elephant where she helped escort 36-year-old Kavaan to a Cambodian sanctuary.

Alicia Silverstone, Diane Warren, Justin Theroux, Katherine Heigl, Lily Tomlin, Mena Suvari, Mira Sorvino, Priscilla Presley, Ron Livingston, and Ron Perlman also signed the letter

On April 7, the Tulsa Zoo opened the newly-renovated Mary K. and John T. Oxley Family Elephant Experience alongside their 36,650-square-foot Preserve Barn and 10-acre Elephant Preserve.

Dr. Chris Draper, an international expert in animal behavior, visited the Tulsa Zoo on May 10 and called it ‘inhumane’ for the two males Sneezy and Hank and three females Sooky, Booper, and Connie living there.

‘All five of the elephants lack[ed] muscle tone and were not in optimal body condition, and one had a cracked nail,’ Dr. Draper said in the letter.

‘When the [flooded] “preserve” becomes useable, the elephants will not have unrestricted access because the Tulsa Zoo cannot put all five elephants together in such a relatively small space.’

He stressed: ‘Accredited elephant sanctuaries offer significantly more space, enough to allow elephants to start to heal physically and emotionally and engage in a more natural range of behaviors.’

Both endangered animals were reportedly removed from the wild as babies as Billy was four-years-old when he arrived at the LA Zoo in 1989

Tina was reportedly trafficked into the circus in 1969 at one-year-old and endured years of circus abuse before arriving at the LA Zoo in 2010

Meanwhile, Cher tweeted her support of John Kelly’s lawsuit on May 10 to block the elephants’ move, but a judge denied the temporary restraining order last Thursday

Alicia Silverstone (L), Diane Warren (M), Justin Theroux (R), Katherine Heigl, Lily Tomlin, Mena Suvari, Mira Sorvino, Priscilla Presley, Ron Livingston, and Ron Perlman also signed the letter

On April 7, the Tulsa Zoo opened the newly-renovated Mary K. and John T. Oxley Family Elephant Experience alongside their 36,650-square-foot Preserve Barn and 10-acre Elephant Preserve

Back in 2012, former LA Zoo commissioner Betty White wrote about Billy and Tina (L) in her seventh book, Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo

Tina’s companion Jewel (pictured) was euthanized, at age 61, ‘due to declining health’ in 2023 and another female elephant called Shaunzi was euthanized, at age 53, in 2024 at the LA Zoo

Back in 2012, former LA Zoo commissioner Betty White wrote about Billy and Tina in her seventh book, Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo.

The late national treasure championed the remodeled Elephants of Asia exhibit, even testifying before the LA City Council when animal activists attempted to stop construction of the elephant habitat in 2008.

‘It seemed like it was never going to happen, and to almost get shut down, that close to fruition — I think it was a whole week that I didn’t sleep,’ Betty wrote at the time.

‘But sure enough by persevering, we got it accomplished, and it’s beautiful on both sides of the enclosure. It’s great for the elephants, and it’s great for the people.’

Tina’s companion Jewel was euthanized, at age 61, ‘due to declining health’ in 2023 and another female elephant called Shaunzi was euthanized, at age 53, in 2024 at the LA Zoo.

38 zoos in North America have reportedly closed their elephant exhibits – including the Monterey Zoo, Oakland Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo, Sacramento Zoo, and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.