Chennai:
Air India aircraft conducted the air transfer of two crocodiles from Chennai Airport to Ahmedabad route through a cargo aircraft on Thursday.
The two critically endangered female West African slender snouted crocodiles from Madras Crocodile Bank Trust were transferred through a cargo aircraft AI981 to Ahmedabad airport from where it was taken to Sundervan Nature Discovery Centre.
This is the second such transfer of crocodiles through its cargo aircraft with the first being done done in the Ahmedabad to Chennai route. The journey took two hours and twenty minutes.
The crocodiles, weighing 220kg, were transferred in a plywood box with proper ventilation and a controlled temperature of 25 degree celsius, said N Mohammed Riaz, deputy general manager (commercial) Cargo Sales and Marketing southern region and R Srinivasan, Senior assistant general manager (commercial-marketing).
Sohan Mukerjee, wildlife biologist, and Ajay Karthik, assistant curator of Madras Crocodile Bank Trust told Express that the crocodiles are transferred under the Zoo Exchange programme. “We have four female crocodiles in Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and two will be sent to Gujarat, for study and research purpose. Both the crocodiles are aged 25 years. We will be getting a male crocodile possibly next year from a European country either from Czech republic or Netherlands,” said Karthik.
Initially, such transfers occur through road but due to such a long distance and the time inolved, we preferred to transfer it through aircraft. The whole exercise is part of Air India’s Corporate Social Resposibility and the trip is free of cost.
“The talks were going on from April and it was only now we agreed to transport the two crocodiles as the weather is also suitable,” said Srinivasan.
Currently, Madras Crocodile Bank trust have 1,800 crocodiles belonging to 17 species. Of these 17 species, four are critically endangered. On 2010, Air India helped in the transfer of South East asian Crocodile (Tomistoma) for breeding purpose to Chennai, said Soham.
Air India aircraft conducted the air transfer of two crocodiles from Chennai Airport to Ahmedabad route through a cargo aircraft on Thursday.
The two critically endangered female West African slender snouted crocodiles from Madras Crocodile Bank Trust were transferred through a cargo aircraft AI981 to Ahmedabad airport from where it was taken to Sundervan Nature Discovery Centre.
This is the second such transfer of crocodiles through its cargo aircraft with the first being done done in the Ahmedabad to Chennai route. The journey took two hours and twenty minutes.
The crocodiles, weighing 220kg, were transferred in a plywood box with proper ventilation and a controlled temperature of 25 degree celsius, said N Mohammed Riaz, deputy general manager (commercial) Cargo Sales and Marketing southern region and R Srinivasan, Senior assistant general manager (commercial-marketing).
Sohan Mukerjee, wildlife biologist, and Ajay Karthik, assistant curator of Madras Crocodile Bank Trust told Express that the crocodiles are transferred under the Zoo Exchange programme. “We have four female crocodiles in Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and two will be sent to Gujarat, for study and research purpose. Both the crocodiles are aged 25 years. We will be getting a male crocodile possibly next year from a European country either from Czech republic or Netherlands,” said Karthik.
Initially, such transfers occur through road but due to such a long distance and the time inolved, we preferred to transfer it through aircraft. The whole exercise is part of Air India’s Corporate Social Resposibility and the trip is free of cost.
“The talks were going on from April and it was only now we agreed to transport the two crocodiles as the weather is also suitable,” said Srinivasan.
Currently, Madras Crocodile Bank trust have 1,800 crocodiles belonging to 17 species. Of these 17 species, four are critically endangered. On 2010, Air India helped in the transfer of South East asian Crocodile (Tomistoma) for breeding purpose to Chennai, said Soham.
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