Whether itâs delivering polar bears to zoos or prize horses to the World Equestrian Games, FedEx rules the animal-shipping kingdom. David Lange, director of charter operations, reveals how they do it.
Since 2000, FedEx has shipped 12 pandas to zoos. How much did it cost? It varies. We sell the entire airplane. Whether you want to move one ton or 80 pounds, you buy the entire airplane. Shipping an animal is different from shipping a box. Trying to translate a cost per pound for an endangered species, itâs hard to make a comparison.
What kinds of supplies do the pandas need? We usually carry a breeding pair, so two enclosures with bamboo, water, applesâa couple thousand pounds of supplies. When weâre carrying horses we bring water and hay. One time, we carried 10 or 15 tons of tack and hay and feed.
You ship hundreds of horses every year. What kind of plans have to be made before a flight? When youâre moving 45 horses on a flight with 25 grooms, it takes special handling. There are the enclosures, the supplies, the food and water. Attendants and vets must be on the flight. Background checks and visas and passports. There are customs and immigration requirements for not only the grooms and vets, but also the animals.
The animals need passports? Absolutely. When moving horsesâsome of these horses are worth millions of dollarsâ they go in and out without having to pay duties and taxes. Thereâs a lot of paperwork, blood testing, certification, and quarantine at the destination.
How do you keep them comfortable? Temperature control. When youâre moving a lot of horses, that generates humidity. We often fly in the middle of the night, when itâs cooler. With an aquarium, youâve got an animal in water, so we have to consider takeoff and landing profiles. We canât take off too quickly.
Who cleans up after the animals? Professional cleaners take care of that. Youâd be surprised the rules different countries have. Iâve seen some amazing stuff. The amount of disinfectant ... we flew our horse charter into Shanghai last year. They sprayed down the entire airplane, the crew steps, everything. Thatâs part of the quarantine.
Are some animals too large? Sometimes we canât help the customer because the animal wonât fit. But when weâve committed to carry, weâll find the right-sized aircraft. If we were just moving a whale or two, an Airbus might suffice. Moving 50 or 60 horses with 20 grooms and attendants, weâll need a bigger airplane.
Any escape stories? No. I can safely say weâve never had any escapees.
Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations