Nicolette Aubourg

On August 11, 2019, at 10:00 am to noon in front of the Los Angeles Zoo, in honor of World Elephant Day, we will join with others around the globe to oppose the trade in elephants and their body parts. Specifically, we will protest the lifting of the ban on exporting baby elephants by the Thai government. We will also call upon the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles Zoo to finally release Billy, the male Asian elephant held in the LA Zoo for 30 years, to sanctuary. Billy is a victim of the elephant trade, stolen from his family, community, and home in Malaysia as an infant and transferred to the zoo in 1989. He has been in public service long enough. It is time to let him retire in dignity, peace, and quiet.Many people do not know that zoos, circuses, marine parks, and other outdated entertainment venues are not happy places for animals. They are forced to live in unnatural habitats that cannot meet their physical, social or cognitive needs. Often, like Billy, they exhibit the symptoms of stress and trauma and are vulnerable to a multitude of grave physical ailments leading to premature death.If you can’t join us at the zoo, you can participate by posting a picture opposing the international elephant trade on your social media. Please include the hashtags: #freebilly#banthetrade#stopthetrade#opposethetrade#captivitykills#tradedintoextinction#worldelephantday. And hashtag your campaign for elephants. You can also organize a protest in your area. Please contact us if you have questions or need assistance.This event is an educational outreach. We will be there to raise public awareness about the horrors of the elephant trade and its aftermath, the trauma of captive life. Name-calling, cursing and shaming will not be tolerated. As always, please treat all members of the public, zoo employees, and law enforcement with respect, regardless of how we are treated.TIME: 10:00 am to noonWHAT TO BRING: Leaflets and signs will be provided but we welcome handmade ones as well!WHAT TO WEAR: No dress code. If you have one, wear your Free Billy T-shirt. SAY NO TO PLASTIC: Please do not bring single-use plastic bottles to the demo. Trashed plastic kills animals. Let's not advocate for some animals while we contribute to the habitat loss and degradation of other animals. On behalf of Billy, and elephants everywhere both free-living and captive, thank you for your compassion and advocacy!