When The Alaska Zoo decided it would be best to send its only elephant, a 25-year-old African elephant named Maggie, to live in California with the Performing Animals Welfare Society sanctuary, it turned to the Air Force after it couldn’t find suitable commercial transportation. The 10,000-pound Maggie traveled in a specially designed crate aboard a 517th Airlift Squadron C-17 from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, to Travis AFB, Calif. From Travis, she was taken by truck to the sanctuary where she will share 30 acres with nine other elephants, reports Associated Press. The Air Force is getting reimbursed for the expense of the endeavor.
The Air Force is requesting about $141 million for initial enlistment bonuses in its fiscal 2026 budget, while Space Force wants $13 million.
