A judge denied an emergency motion that would have halted the transfer of Billy and Tina the elephants from the L.A. Zoo to the Tulsa Zoo, instead of a sanctuary, where many advocates had hoped they would go.

The L.A. Zoo announced on April 22 its decision to relocate Billy and Tina to Tulsa Zoo’s 17-acre Elephant Experience and a 10-plus-acre wooded preserve, allowing them to join an Asian elephant herd, consisting of males Sneezy and Hank, and females Sooky, Booper and Connie. A date for the move has not been announced.