SACRAMENTO –After more than a year of hard work in educating the public about the compromised welfare of elephants in captivity, Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) today was pleased to offer his thanks to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles Zoo for clearing all the obstacles in the way of allowing Ruby the elephant to be relocated to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in San Andreas, CA.

“I would like to offer my gratitude to Mayor Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles Zoo for allowing this important move to happen,” said Assemblymember Levine, who is the Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Animal Welfare. “I’ve been saying since day one of this effort that it’s up to us, the people of Los Angeles, to do everything in our power to ensure the best possible care for elephants in captivity in California. So I thank the Mayor and the Zoo for taking this important step.”

At the PAWS sanctuary, Ruby will be able to roam more than 70 acres of natural landscape with other African elephants – the facility will give Ruby more than 500 times the space of her current enclosure.

In December, Assemblymember Levine was joined by the Animal Protection Institute (API), as well as representatives from PAWS, In Defense of Animals, former veterinarians, and the former curator of the LA Zoo at a town hall meeting in Los Angeles that focused on the health and welfare of elephants in captivity in California.

At that time, Assemblymember Levine unveiled an incredible offer made by television star Bob Barker, from The Price is Right. Mr. Barker kick-started a fundraising effort to move Ruby to the PAWS sanctuary by setting up the Web site www.rescueruby.org, where people could make a donation and, for every dollar they pledged, Mr. Barker would match the amount, dollar-for-dollar, up to $300,000. Inspired by his generosity, animal rights activist Patty Shenker pledged a $100,000 donation at the town hall meeting.

Levine is the author of The Elephant Protection Act (Assembly Bill 777), which is sponsored by API.