FedEx to Airlift Six White Tigers from the United States to Thailand
FedEx MD11 set to touchdown on Monday.
BANGKOK, September 26, 2002 - FedEx Express (FedEx), the world's largest express transportation company, will use its extensive global transportation network to ship 6 rare white tigers from the United States to Thailand.
FedEx will provide air transportation to deliver the white tigers to Bangkok on Monday 30th September, 2002. Currently housed at the Nashville Zoo, Tenn., and the Oakhill Centre for Rare and Endangered Species, Oklahoma, the tigers will be flown on a FedEx MD-11 jet from Memphis, USA, to Bangkok International Airport. From the airport, a caravan of vehicles will deliver the tigers to the Kao Kiew Zoo.
The tigers are being transported to Thailand as part of the Species Survival Program - a breeding program which aims to protect the dwindling population of the White Tiger.
"The commitment of FedEx to bring these rare tigers to Thailand highlights our support for the communities in which we do business, as well as our support of animal conservation and education efforts. It also showcases our unparalleled express transportation services to and from Thailand," said Rhicke Jennings, Managing Director FedEx, Thailand, Philippines and IndoChina. "FedEx is honored to be the carrier that brings the tigers to the Kao Kiew Zoo, allowing zoologists at Kao Kiew Zoo to carry out this vital breeding program."
The carefully planned shipment will involve moving the six adult tigers in separate cages, each weighing some 3,500lbs. The cages need to be fully accessible to the two zoo attendants who will travel with the animals in the FedEx MD-11 jet during the trans-Pacific journey. The two expert attendants have been granted special flight privileges so they can accompany the white tigers during the air transportation. FedEx representatives in the United States and Bangkok have worked extensively with both U.S. and Thailand zoological experts and government officials so that all necessary precautions have been taken to provide a safe and comfortable flight for the tigers.
FedEx to deliver tigers to Bangkok on September 30
Departing Memphis on September 27, 2002 (USA time), FedEx will fly north west and make a stop at the FedEx facility in Anchorage, Alaska. In Anchorage, the FedEx MD11 will refuel and change crews. The tigers will then cross the International Date Line and make a brief stop at Narita, Japan, before flying onward to the FedEx transshipment centre in Taipei. From there, the flight will proceed to the FedEx AsiaOne Hub at Subic Bay, the Philippines. At this point the precious cargo will prepare for their final leg to Bangkok. While flight times often vary due to weather and wind conditions, the FedEx MD11 is scheduled to touch down at Bangkok International Airport on Monday, September 30, at 3:00 am. Due to regulations, all tiger shipment departures and arrivals at the stop-over airports will be closed to the general public.
FedEx is providing air logistical support for the tiger's safe arrival to Bangkok. A caravan of vehicles will then transport the six rare animals from the airport to the Zoo during the final leg of their international journey.
A grand history of Flying Tigers in Asia
Flying Tigers once meant a great deal more to Asia than this very important shipment from the United States. The once great Flying Tigers airline was the symbol of intra-Asia air-cargo delivery and provided the springboard for FedEx Express - today the strongest and largest intra-Asia express delivery network, bar none.
FedEx conceived the idea of an international network almost two decades ago, when it purchased in 1984 a courier company called Gelco that had offices in Europe and Asia. In 1987, FedEx set up the first Asia Pacific regional office in Hawaii, establishing a link between the U.S. and its Asian customers, as well as between the former Gelco operations.
In 1989, FedEx purchased Flying Tigers, the famous all-cargo airline with flying rights to 21 countries. For the first time, FedEx had governmental permission to carry documents, packages and freight to multiple Asian destinations on a regular schedule: Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
FedEx transports many unusual shipments
FedEx has a long history of transporting rare and delicate cargo. FedEx has shipped many unusual animals, including live cattle, elephants, rhinoceros, lions, gorillas, eagles and even a 13-foot tiger shark used in filming the movie "Jaws." Most recently, FedEx shipped the giant SuperCroc exhibition for the National Geographic Channel, giant pandas from China to the United States and thoroughbred horses for both the U.S. and Canadian Olympic equestrian teams to and from the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia.
About FedEx
With annual revenues of $21 billion, FedEx Corp. is the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply chain management services. The company offers integrated business solutions through a network of subsidiaries operating independently, including: FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground, North America's second largest provider of small-package ground delivery service; FedEx Freight, the largest U.S. provider of regional less-than-truckload freight services; FedEx Custom Critical, North America's largest provider of expedited time-critical shipments; and FedEx Trade Networks, a provider of customs clearance, international freight forwarding and trade facilitation.
