Aircraft charter specialist, Air Charter Service, recently helped to arrange the transport of an eight-month-old greater kudu, named Linus, from a zoo to his new home in a conservation area in Chile. The greater kudu is a large woodland antelope, typically found throughout eastern and southern Africa, and male adults have distinctive spiral antlers that can grow as long as 1.8 metres, although Linus’s are not yet fully grown, but he will benefit from his larger new home as he grows.

Richard Thompson, President of ACS Americas, commented: “The zoo is a non-profit organisation, and so, in the past, had always used commercial services for any animal transport, but Linus’s crate was too tall for this, so they contacted ACS for a solution. We had to have careful consideration of Linus’s comfort and wellbeing and it was decided that two different aircraft, with a stopover in Miami, would be the best option. We sourced a Boeing 767 in Memphis with availability for the charter to Miami, and so arranged for Linus to be transported by road to Memphis Airport with the veterinarian and our customer, who were to travel with Linus all the way to his new home in Chile.

“His spacious crate was carefully removed from the trailer and loaded onto the aircraft, ensuring his comfort throughout. Upon arrival in Miami, one of our team met up with them all, and she had arranged for Linus to be transported to a USDA-approved facility for an overnight stay, ensuring his comfort, and compliance with quarantine regulations. The following morning, he was chauffeured back to Miami airport and boarded a Boeing 747 bound for Santiago in Chile. Linus arrived at the conservation area, his new home, happy and comfortable and is now thriving there.”