Court Case Update: Billy and Tina

Dear John,

Yesterday, I shared with you the story of the Nonhuman Rights Project’s efforts to file a habeas corpus petition on behalf of elephants Billy and Tina—efforts that revealed how the law systemically overlooks nonhuman animals who are unlawfully kept captive. Today, I want to update you on what happened next and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Billy and Tina in light of the news that broke today that the L.A. Zoo transferred them to the Tulsa Zoo.  

To give you a little more insight into what happened yesterday, after the court rejected our civil habeas corpus filing for a fifth time, we immediately launched two parallel efforts:

First, we began rapidly preparing a second lawsuit on behalf of Billy and Tina against the court itself demanding that it must accept our habeas corpus petition. 

Second, a colleague went to the courthouse in person to attempt to file the petition one more time despite the systemic barriers we had encountered the first five times.

Our persistence paid off. Late Tuesday afternoon the criminal division of the Los Angeles Superior Court finally accepted our habeas corpus petition on behalf of Billy and Tina. With the case now in the system, we immediately began finalizing a temporary restraining order to present to the court to ensure Billy and Tina’s petition could be considered before their relocation to the Tulsa Zoo.

Earlier today, the Los Angeles Zoo announced to the outrage of many that Billy and Tina had been relocated to the Tulsa Zoo. As news reports show, they did so with seeming total secrecy under cover of night.

I want to be absolutely clear: our legal case for Billy and Tina will continue with full force. We will continue pursuing our legal case for Billy and Tina with full determination. Even though they’ve been moved to Tulsa, the California court may still maintain authority over their case because they appear to remain under the control of parties based in California. The fact that they have been moved to Tulsa does not change the wrongfulness of their confinement. 

We are pushing forward to ensure Billy and Tina’s case receives meaningful consideration by the justice system. Their captivity remains unjust. They deserve life at a sanctuary where they can exercise their autonomy in a natural environment, and where Billy in particular will not be subjected to invasive semen collection efforts.

The events of this week highlight the importance of fair process. When systems make it challenging to even file a legal action on behalf of individuals such as Billy and Tina—who need the protection of the writ of habeas corpus even though they have committed no crime—we see how institutional structures and assumptions show bias against nonhuman animals and deny them access to justice.

Billy and Tina’s story demonstrates why the Nonhuman Rights Project’s work is so essential. We’re fighting to transform legal systems that arbitrarily and prejudicially assume that animals cannot have legal rights—to the point where they make it difficult to even get a petition through the courtroom doors.

The obstacles we encountered this week only strengthen our resolve. Billy and Tina deserve better than a system that treats them as mere things. They are autonomous individuals who suffer. Billy and Tina deserve justice.

Thank you for standing with us in this critical fight.

With unwavering determination,

Christopher Berry

Executive Director, the NhRP

The NhRP is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation (Tax ID #: 04-3289466). It is solely through your donations that we can continue to work for the recognition and protection of fundamental rights for nonhuman animals.

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