Dec 1, 2008 7:11 pm US/Pacific
City Council: Halt Work On Costly Elephant Exhibit
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
-
-
The exhibit is designed to hold up to five adult Asian elephants and three of their offspring, with more than 3 1/2 acres for the elephants to roam around, plus two pools and a waterfall on the six-acre site. (File)
CBS
A City Council committee voted 3-2 Monday to recommend that the city stop work on the $42 million Pachyderm Forest at the Los Angeles Zoo, with one councilman saying he does not want to build an "elephant exhibit to nowhere."
The Budget and Finance Committee's vote, which came at the end of more than three hours of debate, will be reviewed by the full council on Wednesday.
Monday's discussion centered on the fiscal implications of the exhibit.
Of the $42 million, $12 million has been spent. The city of Los Angeles would most likely have to repay about $9 million of that money and the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association would take back $5 million in private donations.
Councilman Bernard Parks, who chairs the committee, said moving ahead to complete the project is not a fiscally responsible decision when the city is facing a $110 million deficit.
"I'm concerned that we (will) end up building an elephant exhibit to nowhere because if we don't know where the funds are going to come from to maintain it, if we don't know where the funds are going to come from to inhabit it ... the issue that you look at in the long and short-term is can we afford it today," Parks said.
Two months ago, Councilman Tony Cardenas proposed that the elephant exhibit be shut down, arguing that elephants need room to walk and typically suffer debilitating foot problems inside zoos. Instead, the councilman proposed that the city fund a 60-acre elephant sanctuary in Los Angeles County.
Council members Wendy Greuel and Greig Smith were the two dissenting votes.
"If we don't move forward, in my math, we're not only losing $9 million worth of work, but we're having to pay back $9 million," Greuel said. "Our financial situation is not getting any better."
Smith said the city has two options -- "continue the project or acquiesce to those who don't want the elephant exhibit and just say let's change directions but it's going to cost us a lot of money."
"I understand the damage we would do on all levels to the zoo -- the reputation of the zoo, our reputation. All things suffer in this," Smith said.
City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who is a major supporter of the project, said the decision left him heartbroken.
"This is going to make a change and a difference in the zoo," LaBonge said.
Opponents of the Pachyderm Forest argue that elephants need a soft surface to walk on to prevent foot problems and an environment that will stimulate them mentally. The zoo's elephant, Billy, lives alone and critics point to his frequent head-bobbing as a sign that the animal has a psychotic disorder.
Zoo director John Lewis said the head-bobbing behavior is typical for Billy.
The exhibit is designed to hold up to five adult Asian elephants and three of their offspring, with more than 3 1/2 acres for the elephants to roam around, plus two pools and a waterfall on the six-acre site. It is about 30 percent complete.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
