Priscilla Presley, Kim Basinger Slam L.A. Zoo Elephants Transfer to Tulsa

Hollywood is speaking out after the L.A. Zoo snuck out its two remaining Asian elephants Tina and Billy overnight on Tuesday -- avoiding any potential protesters amid fierce pressure to move them to a proper sanctuary rather than the Tulsa Zoo.

Priscilla Presley and Kim Basinger both tell TMZ they believe the overnight transfer was "cowardly," with the former adding she is "devastated and outraged" by the "cruel" treatment of the beloved elephants.

Priscilla -- who has advocated for animal rights via Last Chance for Animals for nearly a decade -- says Billy and Tina "deserved freedom, space to roam, and the peace of a true sanctuary."

She notes that while this is a "heartbreaking" defeat, she will continue "the fight for their freedom -- and for the future of all elephants in captivity."

Meanwhile, Kim took aim at Los Angeles' mayor Karen Bass for allowing the transfer to go through despite pending lawsuits to stop their transfer to the Tulsa Zoo.

She says the option to place Billy, 40, and Tina, 59, in a sanctuary "was a slam dunk, and a very easy decision to make" that would have lifted the spirits of L.A. residents -- and given the elephants the free-roaming, social life they deserved.

Instead, KB accuses Mayor Bass of having "no compassion whatsoever" and misusing her authority, further alleging ... "This is a blatantly inhumane choice knowing that there was the option to send both of them to a sanctuary to live out their lives rather than into another lock-up zoo situation."

She adds ... "Captivity and chains is no way these animals should ever have had to live. There is not one redeeming quality to being shackled in prison."

Similarly to Priscilla, the "Never Say Never Again" star -- who has worked with the Performing Animal Welfare Society for 35 years -- says the fight isn't over and she hopes an ordinance is passed that "will never be elephants in Los Angeles County ever again."

Priscilla and and Kim's passionate statements come after they joined a slew of celebrities such as Cher, Alicia Silverstone, Diane Warren, Katherine Heigl, Nicola Peltz Beckham and Justin Theroux in signing a letter sent to Mayor Bass demanding the remaining two elephants at the L.A. Zoo be relocated to a sanctuary.

In a statement to TMZ, the L.A. Zoo claims Bass inquired about moving Tina and Billy to a sanctuary and the decision to transfer them to Tulsa was made after a "comprehensive evaluation" of all available options.

They note ... "The decision to move the elephants to the Tulsa Zoo was made with the health and well-being of the individual elephants as the top priority."