“We feel that being asked to assist with this transport recognises our wealth of expertise in transporting animals properly. We are pleased to contribute our extensive experience to this cooperation and provide a first-class service”, said Jörg Bodenröder, Lufthansa Cargo’s Head of Animal Transport and animal welfare officer. Together with breeders and vets an appropriate transportation in special containers was planned.
The two pandas will be accompanied by two animal caretakers from Chengdu and the zoo’s chief veterinarian Dr Andreas Ochs. Meng Meng and Jiao Qing will be supplied with bamboo snacks while en route and they will also have a drinking bowl in their transport container. Precautions have also been taken in case they need to “do their business” while on the move. The transport container will be equipped with absorbent mats so that Mr and Mrs Panda can remain dry no matter what and will not be bothered by odours during the rest of the trip.
The scheduled flight from Beijing to Frankfurt has been specially rerouted via Chengdu and Berlin for the two VIP passengers. The calculated flight time from Chengdu to Berlin via Novosibirsk is around 12 hours and 20 minutes. The new panda facility in the Berlin Zoo will be opened by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“With 42 large animal stalls, 39 dog kennels, special climate-controlled chambers and black light areas for examining ornamental fish, we have the right solution for every animal”, explained Jörg Bodenröder, who has been with Lufthansa Cargo since 2001 already. “Fish are the main animals we carry. Zoo animals present a particular challenge, often due to their size alone, but we are well up to the task”, added Bodenröder.
