UPDATE 3/10: Sources confirm to KETV that the elephants will arrive in Dallas just after midnight.Previous coverage:Eighteen elephants are bound for the U.S. after being loaded on a cargo plane in Swaziland, Africa, according to the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium.The transportation comes amid a pending lawsuit against zoos in Omaha, Dallas and Wichita along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.The federal agency granted a permit for the elephants' import, but animal rights group "Friends of Animals" filed the suit February 9, seeking to block the elephants' entry into the United States.The group says the transportation could damage the elephants psychologically and poses a threat to the elephants remaining in the wild.Records show a federal court in Washington D.C. was to hear arguments in the lawsuit later this month.However, Friends of Animals filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order after the group said it learned of plans to bring the elephants to the U.S. before the scheduled hearing."We received information from a reliable party in Swaziland that an airplane landed March 8 to load the elephants in the next 24-hours and transport them to the United States," Friends of Animals argues in its motion for the temporary restraining order.Elephant poll(App users, tap here to launch the poll.)The group cites a photograph of the airplane on the ground in Africa, and the zoos "acknowledged the presence of the plane," according to the court records.After a telephone hearing, United State District Judge John Bates denied the motion by Friends of Animals motion for the temporary restraining order, citing that aspects of the transportation -- including the sedation of the elephants -- had already begun.Stopping the transportation would appear to cause "some risk to the elephants," Bates wrote.Omaha's zoo said it was relieved the court threw out the temporary restraining order -- saying it acted quickly to move the animals because of a deteriorating situation in Swaziland."The attempt by activists to further delay the relocation only jeopardized the animals," said Dawn Ream, a zoo official. "The elephants would have been killed if not relocated. 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 animals throughout the region."The zoo won't disclose any information about the elephants' travel plans, citing safety of the animals."A plane was secretly sent from Kansas City on March 5 to retrieve the elephants ahead of a scheduled hearing on March 17, at which time the court was to hear Friends of Animals’ legal arguments," the group's lawyer Michael Harris said in a statement. "If it were not for the brave actions of a local Swaziland person with knowledge of the situation, it is almost certain that we would still not have known that the elephants were to be stolen away before receiving their day in court."The elephants could be on U.S. soil as soon as Thursday. Six of the 18 are headed for Omaha's zoo, which has a new $25 million enclosure for the animals.In its complaint, the group argues the transportation violates federal law and poses a threat to elephants in the wild. Friends of Animals argues the zoos paid the Swaziland government for the elephants."Many independent observers and elephant advocates strongly believe the motive behind this transfer is simply a business transaction," the complaint alleges."We're extremely excited for them to be here," Lincoln resident Chris Mort said.FULL STATEMENT FROM FRIENDS OF ANIMALS ISSUED AFTER RESTRAINING ORDER WAS DENIED:"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. As was widely reported over the past couple months, three U.S. zoos—the Dallas Zoo, the Sedwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo—applied for and obtained from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) a permit to import these elephants from the wilds of Swaziland. A lawsuit was filed soon after the permit was issued claiming that that USFWS had a mandatory duty under the National Environmental Policy Act to fully evaluate and disclose whether the elephants, as a result of captivity, would suffer social, psychological, behavioral, and physical impacts for the rest of their lives. The lawsuit, brought by Friends of Animals, was supported by the world’s foremost experts on elephants, including Dr. Marc Bekoff, Dr. Joyce Poole, Dr. Phyllis Lee, Dr. G.A. Bradshaw and the entire board of the Elephant Specialist Advisory Group. Faced with the real possibility of a court finding that the law compels such disclosure (which certainly would have negatively impacted public and scientific opinion about the proposed transfer), the zoos decided to take no chances. Without informing the court or media, a plane was secretly sent from Kansas City on March 5 to retrieve the elephants ahead of a scheduled hearing on March 17, at which time the court was to hear Friends of Animals’ legal arguments. That plane landed at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time in the capital city of Swaziland on March 8. If it were not for the brave actions of a local Swaziland person with knowledge of the situation who contacted Marc Bekoff, it is almost certain that we would still not have known that the elephants were to be stolen away before receiving their day in court. As it turns out, this official was able to provide Friends of Animals, within mere hours of the plane landing, with enough information to support a request for an emergency restraining order, which was temporarily granted by the court. Sadly, the zoos had already moved to anesthetize, crate and move the elephants onto the plane. Faced with sparse medical testimony from the zoos’ own veterinarians, the court dissolved the restraining order shortly after midnight in Swaziland. The elephants are scheduled to be flown away before another day dawns.The underhandedness of this move cannot be understated. This is the first time since 2003 that elephants have been taken from the wild for purposes of populating U.S. zoos. Since then, our scientific understanding of the impacts that confinement has on elephants has grown tremendously. We know today that they nearly always endure severe physical and physiological hardship, especially when they have spent their entire lives in the wild. Once they reach the zoos and are placed in confinement, they are likely to suffer some of the very same mental and physical conditions one would expect when a human is placed into confinement. They become depressed, lose their appetites, and can become fidgety, dissociative and/or even aggressive. Moreover, it is well documented that captive elephants have a much greater chance of developing health problems and dying at a much earlier age when they are transported overseas and endure these stress factors. This not something that the three zoos involved here wanted to see a court order USFWS to take into consideration. As such, they decided to sneak in and steal away these 18 under the darkness 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."STATEMENT FROM HENRY DOORLY ZOO, CITING THE RESTRAINING ORDER:"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."