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Event Description  

CELEBRITY COMEDIANS LILY TOMLIN AND CAROL LEIFER ARE JOINED BY ANIMAL WELFARE EXPERTS IN FINAL PUSH TO SHUT DOWN THE LA ZOO ELEPHANT EXHIBIT

:SPEAKERS: Lily Tomlin, Actress and comedian :Carol Leifer, Comedian :David Casselman, Attorney :Melya Kaplan, Voice for the Animals Foundation

WHAT: New startling facts will be presented at the news conference shedding light on the recent LA Zoo survey and misleading information presented to residents in the City of Los Angeles. As of today, there is only one elephant left at the Los Angeles Zoo. His name is Billy, a 21 year-old Asian Elephant who in his natural habitat would walk 20-30 miles per day with a life expectancy of 60 years. Billy stands still, bobbing his head unnaturally in a small facility, as other elephants have in the past, most of which never made it to age 20.

‘It’s time to close the elephant exhibit and send Billy to retirement and to an appropriate sanctuary,’ said Lily Tomlin, actress and animal welfare advocate. Other supporters include Alicia Silverstone, Esai Morales, Bob Barker, Jorja Fox, Cher, Jennifer Pryor, Nancy Cartwright, Tippi Hedron, Robert Culp, Kim Basinger, Bea Arthur, Nicollette Sheridan, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Wolfgang and Maria Petersen, Bill Maher and Kathy Joosten, among others.

Keeping elephants in a restricted environment is unsuitable to their well being, and 12 other U.S. cities have already shut down their elephant exhibits. We all have a duty to ensure the humane treatment of all animals, particularly of this and other endangered species.

Los Angeles Councilmembers will be converging on Wednesday to decide Billy’s fate. For more information, visit www.helpbilly.org.