The reptiles, which made up half of the society's gator population, were sealed in plywood boxes Wednesday and shipped by plane to a Bushnell, Fla., reptile ranch, where they will live out the rest of their lives, the Arizona Republic reported Thursday.

"This is a good day," said Randy Babb, a biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "It would be better if they were never here in the first place, but they are."

Daniel Marchand, a curator for the herpetological society, said the alligators will be comfortable in their new home.

"It's a huge facility," Marchand said. "There's more room and large ponds. They'll be real happy."