Leading aircraft charter specialist, Air Charter Service, recently chartered a Boeing B747 to fly a variety of animals from Thailand to their new home on a recently built 3,000-acre wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation facility near the eastern coast of India.

Brendan Toomey, CEO of ACS Singapore, explains: “We received a call from our client who was looking to transport a whole host of animals from Bangkok to Ahmedabad, to a sanctuary hosting thousands of similar animals – many rescued from circuses, zoos, or trafficking networks.

“There was a wide range of different animals that needed to fly on the charter, including zebras, sloths, wallabies, hawks, pacas and raccoons, all of which needed to be monitored by onboard vets throughout the flight. The total weight of the animals, their enclosures, their food and the vets came to 50 tons, meaning a B747 was the best choice for the flight. Initially, we worked closely with the Thai Civil Aviation Association and the client to ensure all correct export documents were provided, in order to get the permits in a timely manner, as we were given less than two weeks’ notice to get the job done.

“The representative from our Singapore office on the ground helped coordinate the airport warehouse, a dedicated area and necessary equipment in order to load the animals safely and as swiftly as possible. He then travelled on the charter to help manage the offloading process in India, before the animals’ onward journey to their new home.”