Bob Barker Urges L.A. City Council to Help Elephants

Top game show host and longtime animal advocate Bob Barker spoke in February 2006 at IDA's request at a Los Angeles City Council meeting on behalf of captive elephants. "There's only one solution to the tragic, the embarrassing elephant problem going on at the Los Angeles Zoo," Barker told the Councilmembers, "and it's to release those elephants from captivity and place them in a sanctuary."

Elephants have been a hot topic in L.A. ever since Tara died prematurely at the Zoo in 2004. Gita, Ruby and Billy remain, although only Billy is on display. Gita's health is of great concern as she is suffering from advanced stages of captivity-related disorders. The L.A. Zoo has proposed to build a bigger exhibit that will cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, but the enlarged enclosure will still not provide for the elephants' space needs. Barker pointed out that this project will probably cost much more than estimated, and will still be "obsolete before it is built."

This is certainly not the first time that Barker has stepped up for elephants. In 1999, he promoted HR 2929, a bill to ban the use of elephants in circuses. His advocacy also ranges to animal rights issues across the board in both his personal and public life. Barker has been a vegan for over 25 years, and doesn't wear leather. After producers broke their promise not to give away fur coats as prizes, he resigned from hosting the Miss Universe Pageant. Barker has hosted The Price Is Right - still the top-rated daytime game show - for 34 years, winning 15 Emmy Awards for Best Host. His signature sign-off at the end of every show is unique among hosts of any show, as he urges viewers to "help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered." In 1994, he set up the DJ & T Foundation, which has raised tens of millions to fund low-cost spay and neuter clinics across the U.S. Ten years later, he established several $1 million endowments at several top law schools for the study of animal rights law.

What You Can Do:

• L.A. Residents, please contact L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and politely urge him to heed Barker's plea to send Gita, Ruby and Billy to a sanctuary and shut down the elephant exhibit. During his campaign for Mayor, Villaraigosa expressed support for removing the elephants from L.A. Zoo. Thank him for caring about the elephants' welfare and ask him to do all he can to make this happen.
  
  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
  City Hall
  200 North Spring Street, Room 303
  Los Angeles, CA 90012
  Tel: (213) 978-0600
  Fax: (213) 978-0750
  E-mail: mayor@lacity.com
  
  It's very important that L.A. Residents also write or call your City Council representative and urge him or her not to spend taxpayer dollars on a new exhibit and instead send Gita, Ruby and Billy to a sanctuary and close the elephant exhibit. To locate your city council member on-line, visit http://www.ci.la.ca.us/council.htm.
  
  
• Write to Bob Barker and thank him for speaking out on the elephants' behalf and for all that he does for animals.
  
  Bob Barker
  c/o Henri Bollinger Associates
  P.O. Box 57227
  Sherman Oaks, CA 91413
  E-mail: henri@bollingerpr.com
  
  Also read The Pet Press' comprehensive profile of Bob Barker.
  Visit www.helpelephants.com/la_zoo.html to learn more about the elephants' situation at the L.A. Zoo.
  
  
• Join IDA's Elephant Task Force! IDA is looking for activists living in cities with zoos to ensure the animals come first. There are opportunities to get involved at various levels, from simply visiting your local zoo and documenting conditions with your camera to making phone calls and organizing demonstrations. As a member of IDA's Elephant Task Force, you can help call attention to the need for serious zoo reform. We have already experienced success with the transfer of elephants from the San Francisco and Detroit zoos to the PAWS sanctuary. If you are interested in joining the IDA Elephant Task Force or would like more information about the ways you can get involved, please send an email to zoos@idausa.org today. Include your full name, city, telephone number, and the name of the zoo near you.