PORTLAND — Two elephants at a Maine rehabilitation center are being sent back to a sanctuary in Oklahoma in the wake of the crushing death of their caretaker.

Police say veterinarian James Laurita died Tuesday in the animals’ barn in Hope, Maine, when one of animals apparently stepped on him. They ruled his death an accident.

Hope Elephants’ board of directors said in a statement Wednesday that the center’s two elephants, Rosie and Opal, will return to the elephant care facility where they came from. The Asian elephants came to Hope Elephants from Endangered Ark Foundation in Hugo, Oklahoma, in 2012 after retiring from circus work.

The board statement said the transfer will be “at least for the present” and was necessary to “ensure the continued well-being of Rosie and Opal.” The statement also said Hope Elephants will continue operations in Laurita’s honor. The 56-year-old co-founded the center to care for retired circus animals.

Police said they found Laurita unresponsive in a barn at Hope Elephants, about 90 miles northeast of Portland.

Laurita appeared to have fallen before one of the center’s two elephants apparently stepped on him, Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies said, citing a medical examiner’s report. Police did not say on Tuesday which elephant stepped on Laurita.

Laurita founded the center with his brother Tom in 2011 and tended the animals as part of his daily routine.

He sold his veterinarian practice in nearby Camden to establish Hope Elephants, and lived with his family in the area.

Laurita had worked with Opal and Rosie decades prior when he was an elephant handler for the traveling Carson & Barnes Circus.