ANIMAL
TRANSPORT
A tall order
Moving animals by air – it’s a big job, but
somebody’s got to do it. Felicity Stredder
gets to grips with the challenges of
live cargo with Sergey Lazarev, General
Director of AirBridgeCargo Airlines.
With its 1,300-strong
workforce and modern
fleet of 18 all-Boeing
aircraft, AirBridgeCargo does it all:
from perishables and dangerous
goods, to valuables, oversized
cargo and live animals. For the
last 15 years, the Russian all-cargo
carrier has delivered livestock,
such as cows and pigs, marine life,
including dolphins and manatees,
and wild animals, from hippos
to bears, in compliance with the
strictest industry standards under
its abc CARE service. Over the last
five years, the carrier has recorded
a 17% average growth rate in
tonnages, and its abc CARE for
live animals product has seen a
significant uptick, too. However,
live animal volumes are liable to
fluctuate – and each case has to be
handled on an individual basis.
A growing area?
General Director Sergey Lazarev
comments on the airline’s recorded
upswing in live freight. “In 2018
our abc CARE volumes tipped over
3,000 tonnes, which represented
60% growth versus 2017. This
significant uptick was mostly
achieved thanks to thorough and
in-depth development of abc CARE
product, its team of dedicated
specialists and enhancement of
processes in tandem with our
handling/warehousing partners,”
he remarks. “Its share among the
total volumes of special cargo
within ABC approaches 5%. With
more forces and efforts aimed at
abc CARE, in 2019 we expect the
upward trend to continue and will
support our customers worldwide.”
Lazarev adds that, while
encouraging, growth in
volumes cannot be taken
for granted. “While talking
about volumes of live animals
against the total cargo carried,
we should keep in mind that
this type of cargo cannot be
considered as regular. Each
transportation is unique and
includes a lot of project work,”
he relates. “Throughout 2018
we organised transportation of
some of the most challenging
animals, including giraffes,
beluga whales and arctic
foxes, making sure they were
delivered to the final point of
destination safe and intact.”
Challenging shipments
Certain animals present more of
a challenge than others, in terms
of the conditions for carriage and
the requirements of the customer,
Lazarev relates. “Some animals
can be classified as unusual for
transportation, such as pandas,
beluga whales or giraffes. They
require different equipment
and different conditions of
transportation,” he explains. For these creatures, dedicated preliminary
work must be undertaken, ensuring the right environmental conditions on
the flight and the shortest possible journeys. “These cases are exceptional
and demand high expertise. But again, they are not more difficult, they are
just different.”
Last July, ABC transported 66 baby giraffes on a charter flight
from South Africa’s O R Tambo to Zhengzhou, China, via ABC’s
Moscow Sheremetyevo cargo hub. The giraffes, each up to three
metres in height and collectively weighing around 38 tonnes,
were transported in groups of three in special containers and
accompanied by animal specialists throughout the flight. “The
special preparations covered not only paper documentation,
including veterinary certificates, charter permits and customs
clearance papers, but most importantly embraced each stage
of transportation too, for the sake of the giraffes’ well-being,”
explains Lazarev.
“In March 2018 we transported six beluga whales from Moscow
to Haikou in China, weighing 16 tonnes in total,” he continues. “This
transportation was organised from Anapa dolphinarium to local
dolphinariums of Hainan Island. The whole transportation went very
smoothly despite a long journey, which included truck delivery from
Anapa to Moscow Sheremetyevo airport, where they went through
veterinary control, had the water changed in their tanks and were loaded
48 April 2019 www.airlogisticsinternational.com
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