LATAM Cargo’s flying felines

LATAM Cargo has transported five big cats from Argentina to South Africa in a move coordinated by freight forwarder Newport Cargo.

The two lions, one lioness and two tigresses had been living in a decommissioned zoo in Santiago del Estero; their 70-hour journey took them to Ubuntu Wildlife Sanctuary and Drakenstein Lion Park.

The trip included a freighter flight from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo, where the felines were transferred to the belly of a passenger plane bound for Johannesburg.

Commenting on the air segments of the trip, LATAM Cargo operations manager Esteban Bojanich said: “When planning and during the actual operation, we ensured full compliance with IATA and LATAM Cargo’s highest standards of safety in live animal transportation.

“Also, the care provided included securing regular access to water for these animals and taking every measure to reduce their exposure to heat and noise sources. This difficult task is especially hard to achieve in a cargo warehouse and air freighter environment but is nonetheless crucial to making their journey as stress free as possible,” Bojanich pointed out.