DHL delivers black Rhino Eliska to Africa

Female Eastern black rhino Eliska transported from Czech Republic to Tanzanian sanctuary as part of conservation project

DHL provides dedicated Boeing 757-200 freighter to ensure maximum comfort and minimal travel time  

DAR ES SALAAM

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 Republic to 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 Arrival Tanzania

Eliska’s move was overseen by an international DHL team, comprising around 40 specialists in areas ranging from ground transportation and aviation to customs clearance and certification across at least five countries. The 900 kilogram female was transferred from ZOO Dvur Kralove in the Czech Republic, where she was born in 2012, to the 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 an experienced 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 20^th century leading to a significant decline in black rhino populations in Africa. There are estimated to be about 800 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 Přemysl Rabas, 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.”  

Eliska at Tanzania

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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Introduction & Overview

DHL Express moved an endangered Eastern black rhino – Eliska – from the Czech Republic to a wildlife park in Tanzania. The move was complex and sensitive, involving around 40 specialists, weeks of preparation and a dedicated Boeing 757-200 from the DHL network. 

This document is designed to provide answers and proof points for DHL spokespeople to possible questions that media or other external stakeholders might ask about this project

How to use this Q&A document

·         This document is designed to provide answers and proof points for DHL spokespeople to possible questions that media or other external stakeholders might ask about the Eliska rhino move

·         The catalogue can be used for reactive or proactive engagement as appropriate but is strictly not for external distribution

·         To ensure the information is up to date, we recommend you contact the author responsible for this document to ensure you have the latest facts

·         Contact details are provided in the back of the catalogue

·         Missing questions or answers? Please feel free to contact the author of this document if you feel there is anything that could be added to strengthen the Q&A’s provided.

Q&A

Background

1.  What details can you provide on the rhino?

·         Eliska is a 3-year old female Eastern black rhino, one of about 800 of the species alive today. She was born in ZOO Dvur Kralove in the Czech Republic (a zoo with a strong track record of breeding Eastern black rhinos). Eliska weighs around 900kg.

·         She is being transported from the Czech Republic to a national park in Tanzania in a conservation initiative organized by the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust (http://www.georgeadamson.org/).

2.  Why is DHL moving Eliska to Tanzania?

·         We have a well-established tradition of supporting wildlife conservation and breeding programs. We were happy to support this initiative, which will see Eliska returned to her ancestral homeland, where she will hopefully play an important role in the efforts to breed more rhinos in Tanzania.

·         Moves like this allow us to showcase the power of our international transportation network and the commitment and expertise of our specialists.

3. What other moves have you done in the past? Are you not concerned that it is inhumane to ship animals to zoos or to fly them in aircraft?

·         We have shipped over 20 different animals in the past for conservation and breeding purposes, including manatees, gorillas, rhinos (in 2012), Sumatran tigers, giant pandas.

·         In cases where we have transferred animals to animal sanctuaries (such as the Sumatran tigers and giant pandas), this has been as part of breeding programs that support growth in populations of endangered or protected species.

·         We have transported many animals (i.e. gorillas, rhinos) to locations where they have been released into the wild or into nature reserves in their natural habitat.

·         We have always chosen the optimal transport mode to ensure that the animals spend minimal time in transit. We always take great care to ensure that the well-being of the animal is ensured and that they are monitored by specialist staff throughout their journeys.

The Move

1.  How was Eliska transported?

·         She was transported from her home in the Czech Republic by truck to Leipzig (on June 26), where she was loaded on to a dedicated Boeing 757-200 freighter, which had been modified especially for the move. From there, she was flown via Bergamo, Italy (for a short refueling stop) to Kilimanjaro Airport. She was then trucked to her new home in the national park in Tanzania (on June 27).

·         She was carried in a special crate and accompanied by a team of specialist staff (including one of the world’s leading rhino veterinarians), who monitored her well-being throughout the journey. We also carried five containers of food and supplies.

2.  What were the main logistics challenges associated with her move?

·         Around 40 DHL specialists were involved in the various areas of planning and preparation of the move.

·         Key considerations included: certification and paperwork for customs clearance (including the transit points) – rhinos are classified within DHL as a ‘restricted commodity’, meaning that we apply specialist shipping procedures; planning the route (i.e. taking a B757-200 out of the DHL network and planning the optimal routing to reduce her transit time); liaising with the zoo and the handling agents to organize the various stages of the journey; planning contingency options in case there were any unexpected developments (i.e. extreme weather events) or potential delays; ensuring that Eliska had sufficient supplies and was monitored throughout the journey.

3. How long was the journey?

·         The journey from Leipzig to Kilimanjaro was over 6,500 km. The total journey was over 7,200km.

·         The total journey time was just over 30 hours.

4. How much did this cost? Do you offer a specialist animal shipping service?

·         We undertake these projects on an exceptional basis, typically as a corporate responsibility initiative; DHL Express does not generally ship animals, although we have undertaken some commercial projects in the past to ship animals, such as horses.

·         We performed this move on a free-of-charge basis (and we do not disclose costs).