OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The head of Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium says elephants could arrive within months.The Omaha World-Herald reports the zoo has filed a permit, along with zoos in Wichita, Kansas, and Dallas, to bring 18 elephants from Swaziland to the U.S., of which six would go to Omaha.
The Big Game Parks Trust in Swaziland planned to kill the elephants to prevent overgrazing in a game reserve and national park but reached an agreement for the zoos to take them. The zoos will contribute $450,000 to a black rhino conservation effort.
The Omaha zoo filed a report with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in November 2014 and the matter is open for public comment.
Zoo chief executive officer Dennis Pate says the hard chore is staying patient.
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