Cher Calls for Relocation of L.A. Zoo Elephants to Sanctuary: “They Have Been Through Hell” (2025)

Cher is calling for the relocation of two Los Angeles Zoo elephants, Billy and Tina, to a sanctuary.

The Grammy winner, who has been fighting to move Billy, called “the world’s saddest elephant,” to a sanctuary for 15 years, is pushing back after it was announced the elephants are set to be relocated to another zoo in Tulsa, Oklahoma, instead of a sanctuary.

“Billy has been locked up since 1989,” Cher wrote in a statement. “Tina was held captive in a private zoo prior to being placed in the LA Zoo. They have been through hell. I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to rescue, rehabilitate and safely relocate elephants to sanctuaries. The Tulsa Zoo is not a sanctuary. Billy and Tina have served their time in confinement. They deserve the chance to live out their lives in peace and dignity.”

The “If I Could Turn Back Time” singer also filed a declaration in support of an emergency motion filed with a new lawsuit, asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the elephants’ transfer. The lawsuit, filed Saturday by a resident, accuses the Los Angeles Zoo of duping “the public into believing that sending Billy and Tina the elephants to a newly expanded elephant ‘preserve,'” rather than “an enclosure at another zoo where Billy and Tina will continue to suffer.”

The requested temporary restraining order would allow L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council to hear an alternative offer to move Billy and Tina to a sanctuary.

Cher, who cofounded the Free the Wild Charity, added in her declaration, “I am asking for you to put the decision on hold until we can further investigate the possibility of transferring Billy and Tina to a sanctuary. Sanctuaries offeracres of soft, natural terrain, trees, rivers, and freedom. Free The Wild has helped make this a reality for elephants like Kaavan, who we moved from miserable isolation in a zoo to a thriving sanctuary in Cambodia. We know what sanctuary looks like. We know it heals.”