WICHITA, Kansas – Six elephants are now making their way to the Sedgwick County Zoo after a court denied a temporary restraining order by animal rights activists on Tuesday. Twelve other elephants are heading to the Dallas Zoo and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.

In January, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved an application from the Sedgwick County Zoo to import elephants from Africa. Last year, the zoo applied to acquire six of the elephants to be a part of its Zambezi River Valley project which is scheduled to open on Memorial Day.

In a statement, the zoos said severe drought conditions in Africa were putting the elephants in jeopardy. The zoos said the elephants would have been killed if they were not relocated.

Friends of Animals released the following statement on their Facebook page:

“Today, the fight to prevent a lifetime of captivity for 18 elephants, 15 of whom are currently under 12 years of age, came to an abrupt and devious end.

Instead of facing a court order, the 3 zoos outrageously chose instead to steal away the elephants from Swaziland on a plane in the dead of night. Let’s not forget their sacrifice, and let them be the last elephants to ever again endure such a fate in the U.S. ‪#‎TheStolen18‬“

The Sedgwick County Zoo says they are not releasing any information on when the elephants will arrive due to safety concerns.

Today, the fight to prevent a lifetime of captivity for 18 elephants, 15 of whom are currently under 12 years of age,…Posted by Friends of Animals on Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Sedgwick County Zoo joint statement:

We are relieved that the Court denied the request for a temporary restraining order. The first and foremost concern of the conservation partners has always been the well-being of the elephants. It is in their best interest to relocate them as soon as possible. Swaziland is in a state of national disaster due to severe, historic drought that has killed tens of thousands of animals. Food throughout the region is scarce.

For several months, the zoos paid to bring in truckloads of hay from South Africa to feed the elephants and other animals in the parks; however, many animals including 38,000 head of livestock died in the severe conditions. As food supply became scarcer, urgency increased to relocate the elephants to homes where they could be well cared for.

The attempt by activists to further delay the relocation only jeopardized the animals. The elephants would have been killed if not relocated. In the interim, resources to feed and care for the elephants were being stretched thin. Scarcity of food and water and the risk of malnutrition are creating the most significant health threat to people and animals throughout the region.

For the sake of the elephants, we moved quickly to relocate these animals to safe homes with a secure future.

Conservation partners Dallas Zoo, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and Wichita’s Sedgwick County Zoo were issued an importation permit by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Swaziland wildlife authorities. The USFWS approved the permit after its scientifically rigorous analysis determined that the import meets regulatory requirements under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The zoos have been granted the legal authority to bring the elephants to the U.S.

For the continued safety of the animals, further details will not be made public until they are secure in their new homes.

For more information about this relocation project and the drought conditions threatening Swaziland’s people and wildlife, please visit: www.RoomForRhinos.org