DHL, the world’s leading international express delivery provider, has completed another landmark transportation project with the delivery of a black rhino from its birthplace in the Czech Republicto its natural homeland in Tanzania. Three-year-old female Eliska was moved to a natural park in Tanzania as part of an ongoing conservation project run by the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust, aimed at helping endangered animal populations to grow and prosper in their natural habitat.
“The delivery of Eliska to
Tanzania continues a proud tradition at DHL Express of supporting international
animal conservation efforts,” said Ken Allen, CEO, and DHL Express. “We were
very excited to have the opportunity to transport this beautiful animal home to
Africa and to play our part in these critical efforts to help revive endangered
Eastern black rhino populations. Complex projects like this, where failure is
simply not an option, also allow us to showcase the power of the DHL global
network and the expertise of our certified international specialists.”
Eliska’s move was overseen by an
international DHL team, comprising around 40 specialists inareas ranging from
ground transportation and aviation tocustoms clearance and certification acrossat
least five countries. The 900 kilogram female was transferred from ZOO Dvur
Kralove in the Czech Republic, where she was born in 2012, tothe main DHL
European Hub in Leipzig, Germany. She was then loaded on to a dedicated 28-ton
Boeing 757-200 freighter, specially modified for animal transport, and flown
more than 6,500 kilometers directly to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania, from
where she was transferred by truck to her new home. Along the way, she was
accompanied and monitored by a team of support staff, including Dr. Pete
Morkel, one of the world’s leading black rhino veterinarians. Five containers
of food and water supplies were also loaded for the journey.
“We were delighted that DHL was
able to support us with this project, as we were only prepared to entrust
Eliska to partners who could absolutely guarantee a safe and seamless move,”
said Tony Fitzjohn OBE, Field Director, The George Adamson Wildlife
Preservation Trust. “Having the support of anexperienced team of international
transport specialists allowed us to focus without any distraction on the
comfort and well-being of Eliska and to ensure that she had the best possible introduction
to her new life in Africa.”
Eastern black rhinos are one of
the most endangered mammal groups, with large-scale poaching in the late 20th
century leading to a significant decline in black rhino populations in Africa.
There are estimated to be about800 in the world today. ZOO Dvur Kralove, where
Eliska was born, has a strong record of breeding Eastern black rhinos, with 43 calves
of the species born to date.
“Eliska’s departure is a
bitter-sweet moment for ZOO Dvur Kralove. We are sorry to say goodbye to one of
our much-loved animals, but at the same time, we are extremely gratified to
have played a part in this important conservation project and excited to see
how she adapts to her natural habitat,” said PřemyslRabas, Statutory Director
of ZOO Dvur Kralove. “The build-up to her move to Tanzania has involved years
of careful preparation, and we are sure that – with DHL – she is in the right
hands for the journey.”
DHL has supported a number of
major conservation projects in recent years, including the delivery of three
black rhinos from the U.K. to Tanzania in 2012 and the delivery of two rare
Sumatran tigers from Australia and the U.S. to London Zoo in the same year as
part of a breeding program. A 2013 project to transfer two giant pandas from
China to a Belgian sanctuary resulted in the ‘perfect delivery’ in June 2016,
when the female gave birth to a panda cub.
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