The US is the new home to 17 African elephants who were flown out of Swaziland on a chartered plane despite an outcry from conservationists against their relocation half a world away.
The elephants, from a game reserve run by nonprofit Big Game Parks, landed in Fort Worth, Texas, over the weekend aboard the cargo plane.
Before their departure from Swaziland, the giant animals were sedated and loaded onto crates for the 10-hour flight.
On arrival, five were transferred to the Dallas Zoo under police escort.
The remaining 12 are the newest residents of the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, and the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, CNN reported.
In January, the US Fish and Wildlife Service approved their relocation to the three facilities amid an outcry from conservationists.
The zoos defended the transfer, saying the animals were set to be killed to make room for rhinos at the Swaziland facilities. The southern African country is also undergoing a drought.