Giant Pandas Wave Goodbye to China
: Friday, 7 September 2007It was a big moment for the two giant panda bears when they left their home turf today onboard a TNT-truck for a journey around the globe to their new home in Madrid Zoo in Spain.
Sep 7, 2007
It was a big moment for the two giant panda bears when they left their home turf today onboard a TNT-truck for a journey around the globe to their new home in Madrid Zoo in Spain. Both Bing Xing, "Star of Ice" and Hua Zuiba, "Cuty Lips" have started their 2-day journey after an emotional farewell ceremony at the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding to Chengdu airport. From here their journey will go to Shanghai and then directly through to Madrid leaving their place of birth for a 10-year stay which is a part of the Giant Panda International Conservation Cooperation Project between Spain and China.
Upon their arrival in Shanghai, the pandas will immediately be invited into a large air-conditioned vehicle for a night of rest, during which they will be closely monitored by veterinarians. In the morning, the pandas will board TNT's Boeing 747 freighter for their direct flight to Madrid this morning, which will take nearly 14 hours. Bing Xing and Hua Zuiba will land in Madrid at around 14:40 p.m. to the cheers and welcomes of the Spanish people. They will then be transported by TNT to the Madrid Zoo. After a brief break to help them acclimatize to the local environment, they will make their official debut with a royal welcome in late September 2007.
"The transport of alive animals requires a very complex logistical operation", comments Jesús Fernández Morán, Technical Director of the Madrid Zoo (part of the Parques Reunidos Group). "We knew TNT's Special Services department from earlier collaborations and we were convinced of their capacity to offer an integral solution for this type of operation".
Gonzalo Chico Barbier, Country Manager for TNT in Spain, adds: "We are very proud to have been selected by the Parques Reunidos Group to carry out the organization of this transport that is exceptional, because of the demanding transit times, allowing continuous access for veterinarian experts and obviously because of the subject of transport. TNT is used to add value to the business of our clients, independent of the sector or activity to which they dedicate themselves."