The Los Angeles Zoo's upcoming Elephants of Asia exhibit just secured what every habitat-away-from- home needs: a feminine touch. Jewel and Tina, two pachyderms that the San Diego Zoo has nursed back to health since they were removed 14 months ago from a circus owner, will be keeping L.A.'s Asian male, Billy, company when the $42 million habitat opens in mid-December. 'Jewel in particular, who was severely underweight, has gained back more than 17 percent of her body weight, several thousand pounds,' San Diego Zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons said Friday. 'Both of them are fully recovered, so we were looking for a new home for them together, because they're very fond of each other. 'The Los Angeles Zoo has this brand-new, expansive exhibit that we just thought would be perfect for them.' The elephants will be on loan, so the San Diego Zoo will continue to manage them. The three elephants will live at the Elephants of Asia exhibit, previously called Pachyderm Forest. It will focus on the connection between elephants and the cultures of Thailand, India, China and Cambodia, and educate visitors about the challenges that Asian elephants face in the wild. Different parts of the exhibit are designed to look like each of those environments, and to inform visitors how they can help each country's wild elephant population. The facility was also built to be fun for its inhabitants, and to support a larger population of the elephants in North America as the need arises. 'There are lots of opportunities for elephants within the habitat,' Los Angeles Zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs said. 'There's varied topography, there's a waterfall which they can shower underneath, there are bathing pools, there are exploration trails, there are special, artificially designed trees and logs that are made with the enrichment of the animals in mind.' Not everyone believes that the exhibit will be pachyderm paradise, however. Three years ago, the late actor Robert Culp and real estate agent Aaron Leider filed suit against the zoo, claiming the elephants were confined in too small of a space. David Casselman, whose Valley-based firm Wasserman, Comden, Casselman and Esensten is handling the case pro bono, does not believe that the expanded Elephants in Asia habitat really solves that problem. 'Twelve zoos around the country, maybe more, have closed their elephant exhibits in recognition of the fact that it's just not feasible to keep elephants in the small environments that are available to public zoos,' Casselman said. 'Sanctuaries have much more land, and the elephants can safely live there. We're talking about an animal whose evolutionary development requires them to walk miles and miles a day. Putting them in a few acres doesn't cut it. It's like putting you in a closet.' Casselman said his clients have appealed an initial ruling to dismiss the suit. The next hearing is scheduled for December. With the lawsuit still tied up in court, Jacobs said the zoo is proceeding with plans to open the Griffith Park exhibit. 'Some people who say that elephants shouldn't be in zoos are the people who said the same thing about California condors,' Jacobs said, referring to a program that's credited with saving the birds from extinction. 'We take great care of the elephants, we're opening a world-class habitat, and the majority of visitors will never get to go to Asia to see these animals in the wild.' As for 25-year-old Billy and his new companions ... Well, since Jewel and Tina are believed to be in their mid-40s and past reproductive age, friendship is as much as the zookeepers can hope for regarding Elephants of Asia's first three tenants. 'The long-term goal is to introduce Billy to Tina and Jewel,' Jacobs said. 'But you don't just put three elephants together. It's a long process. They will be able to see each other, smell each other, maybe even touch each other through some type of barriers. 'That's enriching right there for Billy, to socialize with other elephants.' 