DHL shows high value cargo credentials

As Namibia prepares to relocate donated wild animals to Cuba, the world’s leading logistics company, DHL, is playing an increasing role in the transportation of rare animal species.
“DHL Namibia could play a contributory role in the conservation of vulnerable species like the cheetah if they need to be transported to enhance successful breeding programmes elsewhere,” said Deon Landman, DHL Namibia’s country manager.
Namibia has about 2500 cheetahs, more than any of the other 25 African countries where they are found in the wild.
DHL’s credentials for carrying high value cargo have been established with the delivery of two Sumatran tigers, one from the USA and one from Australia, to take part in an international breeding program on 18 October.
With fewer than 300 Sumatran tigers now in the wild, ZSL London Zoo is hoping to breed the tigers as part of a wider conservation support program. The London Zoo enlisted the help of international shipping firm DHL Express to transport the two tigers – Melati, a female tiger from a Perth Zoo and Jae-Jae, a male tiger from United States.
To ensure the safety of the tigers on board, bespoke travelling crates were created for the wild cats, equipped with infrared cameras to allow each tiger’s on-board keeper to monitor their well being throughout the journey.  
To accommodate the feline travellers, DHL temporarily reconfigured its global network to ensure the tigers were delivered in under 24 hours.
The move follows the recent transportation of three critically endangered black rhinos from the UK to the Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania. The rhinos are all faring well and living in the wild for the first time.
Charles Brewer, Managing Director of DHL Express sub-Saharan Africa, commented: “It’s very special that we can use our core capability of logistics to support such valuable conservation efforts. The relocation of the rhinos and now the movement of these beautiful tigers effectively means we can contribute towards sustainable breeding and conservation through the power of our global network.”
Phil Couchman, CEO of DHL Express UK & Ireland added: “This is an extremely worthwhile cause and a massive logistical operation for DHL – our priority throughout the operation has been the safety and well being of the tigers.
“In working closely with ZSL London Zoo to prepare for the move and to ensure the smoothest possible journey for the tigers, we established early on that if either of the tigers were in transit for longer than 24 hours, they would need to be grounded and fed. So, in the case of Jae-Jae, we made some adjustments to our global flight operations to ensure his arrival at London Heathrow within the 24 hour deadline. This meant that the whole DHL network was working around the needs of this VIP passenger.”