But Lerner says her client wasn't happy when he found out that the elephants were being sent to another zoo enclosure. "The situation there has been ongoing for many years.

The zoo also said Mayor Karen Bass "inquired" about moving the elephants to a sanctuary, but that the decision was made at the recommendation of the AZA and its Elephant Species Survival Plan.

12:25 p.m. May 21, 2025: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the size of the elephant enclosure at the Tulsa Zoo. It is about 17 acres. Despite a stream of steady protests and ...