“Half a dozen African elephants lay strewn on a riverside plain in Malawi, immobilized by darts fired from a helicopter in a massive project to move 500 elephants, by truck and crane, to a sanctuary for the threatened species. As development squeezes Africa's wildlife areas, this kind of man-made animal migration is increasingly seen as a conservation strategy in Malawi, one of the continent's most densely populated countries, and beyond. Conservationists flipped the prostrate elephants' large ears over their eyes to block out light, and propped open the tips of their trunks with twigs to ensure unimpeded breathing. Then the multi-ton elephants, hanging upside down from ankle straps, were loaded by crane onto trucks for a road trip of about 185 miles (300 kilometers) to a safer, more spacious area. African elephants are in particular peril from human encroachment, while poachers have slaughtered them in the tens of thousands to meet demand for ivory, mostly in Asia. The Malawi elephant project differs from other wildlife relocations because of its large scale”. – Christopher Torchia via The Associated Press



In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, an elephant is lifted by a crane in an upside down position in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. African Parks, which manages three Malawian reserves is moving the 500 elephants from Liwonde National Park, this month and next, and again next year when vehicles can maneuver on the rugged terrain during Southern Africa's dry winter. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, elephants lay on a riverside plain in Lilongwe, Malawi, after being immobilized by darts fired from a helicopter, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, African elephants lay on a riverside plain in Lilongwe, Malawi, after being immobilized by darts fired from a helicopter in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, a team pull a rope attached to a flatbed truck in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, a veterinarian checks the health of a baby elephant in Lilongwe, Malawi, after being immobilized by darts fired from a helicopter, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, elephants lay immobilzed in a truck in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





A truck transports immobilized elephants in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, an elephant is lifted by a crane in an upside down position in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, an elephant is measured after being shot by a dart in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, an elephant is lifted by a crane in an upside down position in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, an elephant is lifted by a crane in an upside down position in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, an elephant is shot with a dart from a helicopter in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)





In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, elephants are tied ready for transportation, in Lilongwe, Malawi, in the first step of an assisted migration of 500 of the threatened species. (Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP Photo)