GOLDEN GIRLS - BETTY WHITE DEFENDS ZOO'S ELEPHANT EXHIBIT

Former GOLDEN GIRLS star BETTY WHITE joined more than 100 people rallying in front of the Los Angeles Zoo on Saturday (03DEC05), in an attempt to halt the elephant exhibit's planned closure.

The demonstration came in response to a study ordered by the city's mayor, ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, to determine whether the exhibit should be shut down. Animal rights activists called for the study, saying the elephants need more acreage.

But fans say the Los Angeles Zoo's elephants - named BILLY, GITA and RUBY - are treated well.

White, one of the zoo's commissioners, insists that removing the animals would deny children the opportunity to learn about them, explaining, "They see these gorgeous animals and they know we must not let them perish off this Earth. You don't get that off a documentary."