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Transportation of live animals can be challenging or quite sensitive since it involves handling and moving animals that need special care. Regardless of whether one is transporting pets, livestock, or zoo animals, the live animal transportation services make sure animals arrive safely and in good condition.
In this article, we will discuss the process, requirements, and key factors for safe transportation, particularly by air. We’ll also look into the rules and regulations of freight shipping that manage this transporting service and provide information on the operational procedures of live animal transportation.
Where and why is Live Animal Transportation necessary?
Live animal transportation is crucial in several ways. Individuals move their pets across cities, countries, or continents whenever they move from one place to another. Livestock owners transport animals to these markets, breeding farms, or animal processing farms.
Animals are transported with trainers across zoos and aquariums for conservation or breeding programs. At other times, scientific and research institutions transfer animals for experiments or research purposes. The objective is to guarantee that these animals are treated fairly and are healthy upon reaching their destination.
In what ways are live animals transported?
Animal transportation can be done through road, rail, sea, and air transport. It’s perhaps important to note that live animal air transport is commonly applied for long-distance transport since it’s quicker and less forceful to the animals.
Some of the airlines providing live animal cargo services include Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and British Airways which transport the animals in a live animal shipping method that meets the standard welfare and safety of the animals.
Legal Requirements and Policies for the Export of Live Animals
Transportation of animals is regulated by national and international laws and the Animal Welfare Act in America and the European Union, respectively. The International Air Transport Association, or IATA, is in charge of establishing many rules for transporting live animals by air. There is the Live Animals Regulations (LAR) which has been developed and published by the IATA, and this is the one that is used in transporting animals via airplanes around the world.
They also suggest that there are certain slightly different regulations depending on the type of animal to be transported. For example, there are strict rules for the size and manner of construction of containers for transporting live animals, the papers needed for shipping live animal cargo, and treatment. Some of the regulations are followed by airlines like KLM, Turkish Airlines, and Lufthansa to maintain animal safety during the flight.
Policy For Transportation
National standards, for example, those that exist in European Union countries and Australia have a stated policy towards the humane treatment of animals in transit. In some cases, the regulations exceed the IATA’s requirements.
Factors that Affect safe transport of live animals
Transporting live animals safely involves several critical factors: Aircraft environmental control settings, animal physiological responses, airport conditions, and ground handling processes. Due to the differences in species, the ECS settings should be adjusted to provide the right temperatures and environment for different species.
This proves even more challenging when treating more than one species, thus the need to plan well. So, when transporting live animals, several factors need to be considered to ensure their well-being during transportation:
- Temperature and Humidity Control
The living animals must be put in conditions according to the needs of the particular breed. Aircrafts such as Airbus company and Boeing have specified compartments for the carriage of breakable goods with a specific controlled climate. For example, farm animals may be comfortable when the climate is cold while tropical animals may be comfortable in warmer environments.
- Ventilation and Airflow
The need for proper air flow is very important, especially for the safety of animals in the stores. When animals are transported in live animal cargo flights, the airlines ensure that fresh air flows around the containers. Cargo live animal labels and live animal stickers are to be placed on the crates so that it can be identified that it is live animals that are being transported.
- Container Specifications
Proper containment is vital. The containers to be used in the carriage of live animals should therefore allow the animals enough space to carry out their movements and take rests when necessary. They also require ventilation openings, which create ways through which fresh air can come into these areas without heat or carbon dioxide building up.
- Handling During Transit
Animals may also be at a higher risk of getting sick when transported since they are stressed and may be exposed to new environments. WestJet and Air Canada, for instance, hire independent contractors to help reduce stress levels in animals and feed and water the animals during transit.
- Control of the Environment for Animals
The appropriate temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels within the cargo hold must be maintained to properly care for the animals. Organisms in the wild are neither the same nor are they unique because their needs are different. For instance, the large farm animals, small livestock animals, and poultry animals have their range for optimal temperature, and their ranges are 4.4°C to 26.6°C, and 32°C to 37°C respectively.
These factors depend on the number of animals on board since the body heat and emissions are capable of changing the quality of air in the immediate environment. The technique of using fresh air is very important, especially when carrying compact loads, though it can cause more fuel usage.
6. Ground Handling and Loading Considerations
On the ground, the ECS has to cope with high external temperatures, so the cargo hold doesn’t overheat especially when exposed to the sun for long hours. Check-preloads, by using the APU, or external coolings, are a necessity.
Handling the flight and ground crew enables animals to be safely and quickly loaded and off-loaded, decreasing the time they spend in the hold area.
When animal contaminants are piled closely together, they are likely to develop condensation in between. Containers used hence have to be tough, well-ventilated, and capable of withstanding such habits of the animals such as tearing or biting.
7. General Welfare Guidelines
Animals should preferably be healthy and should not be pregnant when they are being transported. Occasionally, animals need to be calmed during the flight and should travel with the veterinary surgeon due to the increased risk of getting injured in case of turbulence.
Another precaution that has to be taken so that samples do not get contaminated is the reduction of the number of times they are handled.
Feeding and drinking water are a process that depends on the kind of animals, journey time, and other circumstances. Birds are among those animals that may not need food and water before the flight or for several hours after it.
8. Safety Management and Reporting
Air transport of live animals involves official documents and certified staff such as flight crew and others on the ground. For example, when humidity occurred, cattle aboard triggered a fire warning, and crews had to be prepared for an incident in such circumstances.
Documents Required for Transport of Live Animals
Several documents are needed to ensure the smooth transportation of live animals:
- Health Certificates: Papers such as health certificates for animals prove that the animal is healthy enough to travel without spreading infectious diseases.
- Identification Documents: This includes its microchip details or any other identification needed in the identification process.
- Transport Permits: These are obtained from the authorities in the country of origin and the destination country; particularly where animals being imported are prohibited under the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) treaty.
- Live Animal Stickers: These are requirements for all live animal shipments. The cases of the crates are appropriately labeled to indicate that live animals are in them, thus, the handlers have to be careful with the animals.
Aircraft Companies and Their Function
Airplane makers such as Airbus and Boeing combine characteristics into their aircraft to facilitate live animal moving services. There are climate control cargo holds and those suited to safely transport live animals. According to the type of the air freight shipping, changes in wind and temperature can be controlled to fulfill the demands of different species during the flight.
Additional Features For Different Animal Types
Every animal species has its own specific needs during transport:
- Pets
Pets are usually placed in small animal shelters, and the majority of airline companies permit travelers to take small animals into the passenger cabin. Some companies provide services to transport pets, including airlines such as Alaska Airlines and Korean Air have specific protocols to protect pets traveling in pressurized and temperature-controlled aircraft cabins.
- Livestock
Large animals such as cattle, horses, and pigs need special arrangements to fit in the cargo holds provided due to size and mass. Companies like Turkish Airlines' live animal cargo services offer special arrivals deals when it comes to the movement of farm animals.
- Zoo Animals
Shipping of rare animals, therefore, is a little more complex in the planning. There are specialized centers such as Lufthansa and KLM airlines which have special services for the transportation of animals such as lions, giraffes, and elephants from one zoo to the other or between zoos and conservation centers.
Conclusion
The transportation of live animals comes with its unique challenges but serves a very vital role. Strict regulations with international and national policies and precise concentration on every breed and gender of animals needed for animal shipments can make live animal cargo transport safe and kind.
Regardless of the type of animals, pets or zoo, livestock, etc., it is possible to travel with animals by arranging with Delta, American Airlines, or Lufthansa, which offers caring and professionally managed services for the transportation of the animals.
Frequently Asked Questions about Live Animal Transport
- What is live animal cargo?
Livestock airfreight involves the shipment of animals through the air, sea, or on road transport where the animals are treated as freight and hence shipped in holding cages.
- What are live animals?
Live transported animals consist of domestic animals, farm animals, zoo animals, and animals being transported for experiments. They are conveyed in ways that protect their health, safety, and comfort.
- Which animals are taken for animal-powered transport?
Several animals, such as horses, camels, and elephants, are traditionally employed in the transportation process. Still, in the present generation, very few people use these animals since they have many other ways of transport like vehicles and machines.
- What are the amazes related to the transport of live animals?
There are international standards for transporting live animals provided by organizations such as IATA and national governments. They were established in an attempt to make sure that animals are transported safely and humanely.
- What is the meaning of live animal transportation?
Transport of Live animals refers to the shipment of live animals from one place to another, mainly for farming, research, or conservation.
