Story highlights There are three male elephants and 15 female ones

They'll go to zoos in Dallas, Kansas and Nebraska

(CNN) Swaziland's plan to relocate 18 elephants to three American zoos is sparking condemnation from some conservationists.

The three male elephants and 15 females live in the Big Game Parks in the southern African nation.

Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved their relocation to three facilities: the Dallas Zoo, the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, and the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska.

The animals were set to be culled as part of a plan to make room for rhinos at the Swaziland facilities, the zoos said in a statement.

In exchange for the elephants, the U.S. zoos will donate funds toward the rhino conservation efforts at the Big Game Parks.

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