Planning Zoo Animal & Wildlife Transport:- A Matter of Logistics and Scale

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1 Planning Zoo Animal & Wildlife Transport:- A Matter of Logistics and Scale Paolo Martelli Director Veterinary Services, Ocean Park Tan Kit Sun Senior Fauna Conservation Officer, KFBG

2 We will cover:- a) General considerations when transporting zoo animals and wildlife b) And this will be illustrated by a few case studies

3 Zoo animals Zoo animals aka Wildlife covers a wide range of species and sizes There are currently in excess of 14,000 species kept in Zoos Terrestrial vs aquatic, delicate vs sturdy: stress sensitive vs stress tolerant The task is precisely to mitigate the inevitable stress linked to transport - Both to the animals and to humans There is no single formula for all the species and some species would need bespoke solutions that are not in any of the transport guidelines

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5 From This Size

6 To This Size

7 From Simple Logistics

8 To Extremely Complex Operations

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13 Sometimes big animals fit in a small crate

14 Preparing the animal for the journey: Crate Training Crate training is the corner stone of zoo animal transport. It may require a lot of work or very little, depending on the species. The aim is to make the transport crate a safe familiar place that the animal enters voluntarily habituate the animal to spend time locked in the crate, ideally a length of time close to traveling time plus extra time for unexpected delays

15 Many causes for anxiety during transport

16 There is a dolphin in here!

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20 Preparing the animal for the journey: Health checks and fitness to travel Animals selected for transport are typically in fine health and if gravid, early term only. Many satisfactory examinations and tests precede transport day and are typically resolved early The concept of fitness to travel is applied until the moment of loading and can lead to cancelling shipments. This can be the result of sudden illness or injury, excessive anxiety, hyperthermia, any form of distress where there is a lack of confidence that this will resolve if transport continues. Cancellation or delay is always an option

21 Preparing the animal for the journey: reducing awareness or anxiety Many transport fail due to inadequate tranquillization. Tranquilization/sedation is not a replacement for Habituation (Long acting) Tranquillizers not only help with transport they also help with adaptation to the destination

22 Wild Elephant Tranquilized For Transport

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24 Preparing the animal for the journey: feeding and watering Big differences between species eg humming birds vs crocodiles or marmosets vs lions. The concerns are Starvation: rarely a concern Dehydration: often a concern Waste material: always a concern for the animal, sometimes for the pilot too... Decisions must be made regarding Feeding and watering prior to traveling to ensure best possible nutritional status by transport day and then lowest possible waste production during transport. Decisions must also be made regarding feeding and watering in transport. Sometimes regulations oblige to provide water. Every stop over is an opportunity to water and feed. Contact local Zoos to provide support.

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26 Not getting the paperwork in the required form will result in delays and stress for all concerned!!!

27 Preparing the paperwork Relevant Permits CITES Import and Export Health permits: country and species dependent and include last minute comments on fitness to travel Others Airway bill: confirms commitment Insurance: too expensive Customs declaration, nominal value: no commercial value USD50. Declaration of No Commercial Value USD1,000,000 has been accepted.

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29 Logistics of trip: shortest route vs cheaper route vs more comfortable route (eg support or holding facilities en route) stop overs, air vs sea vs road Carriers: passenger vs cargo vs charters. Loading and offloading: cranes, forklifts, last-in-first-out Season/temperature, road transport sections, Accompanying personnel: numbers, status ie passenger/crew), Data loggers Crate design: IATA, experience, aircraft dimensions, pallets and change of pallets at stopover, door sizes, bridge height along the way, police escort, crane and forklift provisions

30 Tips Give a date to create urgency Ship during weekdays, avoid public holidays, land outside of rush hour and or at night for best road transport conditions and to avoid press and crazies. Forward copies of paperwork to all parties and attach to each crate Word health certs very close to format of receiving country and get the draft approved by relevant parties to avoid last minute surprises Always consult the Zoo people on what the animals can or cannot tolerate Liaise with partners in transit countries for support Moving animals to a from 3 rd world countries would be best if there are teams on the ground to sort out logistics and bureaucracy. This will obviously increase cost.

31 Case Study 1: Dolphins from South Africa to Hong Kong

32 Own Crate Design Health Exam

33 Desensitization of the animal Rehearsal

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36 Loading, temperature, take-off landing angles

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43 Take Away Message a) Simulate transport conditions to desensitize animals b) Preventative tranquilization vs reactive tranquilization c) Sufficient manpower to keep teams fresh and alert d) Good ground teams at departure, transit and arrival points

44 Case Study 2: Repatriation Of Pig Nosed Turtles To West Papua

45 Live Test To determine how the turtles might cope with the journey a simulation was undertaken. 8 turtles were placed in the plastic containers with water for 72 hours before the actual travel. This covered the travel time of 48 hours plus a buffer of another 24 hours. After 72 hours ammonia levels tested at 4ppm. This was comparable to the concentration just before a water change while in holding. Hence we had confidence that the turtles could survive the trip.

46 Routing Hong Kong 5 th Oct 0930HK Jakarta 5 th Oct 2130WIB MZ 嘉道理農場暨植物園動物保育部 Merauke 6 th Oct 0930WIT Bupul 6 th Oct 1630WIT Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Fauna Conservation Department

47 Logistics 4 th October Packing at KFBG 1630hrs Delivery to the airport 5 th October Flight from Hong Kong to Jakarta, Indonesia 0920hrs Transfer cargo to Merpati Indonesia 2130hrs 6 th October Arrived at Merauke 0930 hrs Arrived Bupul Village from Merauke 1630hrs Total time in crate 48 hours

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49 Bupul Conservation Area Kampung Bupul

50 Finally the Maro River

51 Release & Community Involvement 嘉道理農場暨植物園動物保育部 Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Fauna Conservation Department

52 Take Away Message Having teams working concurrently at each critical staging point was critical to the success of the transport a) Having a team in Jakarta to sort out the paperwork and booking the connecting flight b) An away team in West Papua to survey the ground conditions and prepare the necessary ground logistics

53 Thank You! Questions? Buffalo Xpress Door to Door Service