The City Council temporarily halted construction of a new $42 million elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo on Wednesday amid concerns over funding and a debate over whether the animals should be kept in zoos at all.

The vote came after the nonprofit Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association offered to pay an additional $14 million to finish the exhibit.

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At the council meeting, activists and celebrities including comedian Lily Tomlin and actress Jorja Fox said the zoo’s costly exhibit would do nothing to alleviate painful foot diseases that often lead to death among captive elephants.

They argued that the zoo should hand over its lone elephant, 22-year-old Billy, to an animal sanctuary in Northern California.

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