TULSA, Okla.–Below is a statement from Christopher Berry, executive director and attorney at the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP).
The Nonhuman Rights Project is deeply upset to learn that our former client, Tina, an elephant at the Tulsa Zoo, has been diagnosed with an untreatable infection. Tina arrived in Tulsa less than a year ago (in May 2025) from the Los Angeles Zoo, despite public opposition and pending litigation seeking recognition of her right to liberty as an autonomous being, whose needs cannot be met at a zoo.
Unfortunately, Tina’s health crisis is not surprising. It is a predictable result of being treated as a thing, not a living being, subjected to a lifetime of captivity in exploitative environments, where her complex physical and psychological needs cannot be met. For over five decades, Tina has been confined, controlled, and used by institutions that prioritize their interests over hers. The environments in which elephants are kept in zoos often result in severe, chronic, and ultimately fatal health consequences.
The Tulsa Zoo may emphasize the care that Tina is now receiving, but palliative treatment does not address or excuse the underlying harm she has suffered. Attempting to provide comfort at the end of her life does not erase the decades of exploitation. Zoos should not be applauded for managing the suffering they created; they should be held accountable for the harm they cause animals.
For the past sixteen years, Tina has been held by zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In May 2025, the NhRP filed a habeas corpus petition in the Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Tina and another elephant, Billy. The petition sought recognition of their right to liberty and their release to an accredited elephant sanctuary. Unfortunately, Tina will never experience the relief we sought for her, which would have allowed her to exercise her autonomy and reclaim a measure of the freedom that was stolen from her. Tina’s plight underscores what we have long argued: zoo captivity is inherently harmful to elephants and cruel.
No elephant deserves to suffer the way Tina has suffered. This is why the NhRP will continue to fight for the recognition of elephants’ right to liberty.
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