The zoo animal transport of a Berber lion arrived just in time for the opening weekend of the Hanover zoo in March. Here the new inhabitants can be admired in their open-air enclosures. Two Berber lions from the zoo in Rabat have thankfully survived the long journey from Morocco and the ensuing three week quarantine and have safely arrived and are in the best of health. Berber lions are something of a speciality in this zoo which opened in 1865. They are the offspring of royal lions who were given to the zoo in Rabat as a gift by King Hassan II. Only a few Berber lions are left today and these live in various zoos across the globe. They cannot be found in the wild anymore.
Thanks to G.K Airfreight Service´s well organised team with the zoo animal transport from Morocco to Germany, the zoo at Hanover has two more attractions to boast. In this special shipment the animals were not transported by airfreight but rather driven in a special vehicle over land from Morocco over Spain and France before reaching Germany. The vehicle disposed of its own inbuilt suspension and shock absorption system so that the lions could be comfortably transported as though in a luxury travel coach. Flying was out of the question. The lions would have had to share the cargo hold with crate loads of mint. Domestic cats as well as big predator cats are almost magically attracted to mint.
With such cargo, convenience and good service are absolutely necessary so that the creatures are able to endure the transfer from one zoo to the next without too much stress. Apart from the special transport and the especially manufactured transport crates all other eventualities were provided for. Not only were there meticulously planned breaks en route for driver and lions, but respective zoos in Malaga, Valencia, Barcelona and Muehlhausen were also notified in case of an emergency.
This is but one side of the story of the lion shipment. G.K Airfreights’ professional service was of course also needed at the European Union border controls.
Not only expertise and patience are needed here but also the ability to tolerate possibility delays is often required. The transport crate for the long journey was modified in the metropolis of Rabat in an excellent collaborative action with the royal veterinary. Naturally we were powerless to avoid the delays met with on the ferry to Gibraltar.
Spanish speaking staff members are a plus, so that the entry into the European Union and onwards is sped up. The Berber lions finally reached their new home all the way from Africa to Europe without any incidents. At home in the Hanover Zoo they have already marked off their territory.
