Also for real belugas
Airbus’s transport aeroplane called Beluga is not the only beluga that can fly. Two beluga whales weighing around 900 kg each are set to complete the longest leg of their intermodal transport from China to Iceland by air.
Rhinoceroses are not the only animals that can fly (see page 18 of our Aviation Special supplement in ITJ 41-42 / 2018). Lions that are being returned to Africa can too (see page 13 of ITJ 1-4 / 2019). Now ‘Little Grey’ and ‘Little White’, two twelve-year-old beluga whales, are also set to join the club. The cetaceans live in an aquarium in Shanghai and are set to make a 30-hour journey across the world this spring.
It will see them travel 53 km in a lorry to Pudong airport, 8,982 km in an aeroplane from there to Keflavik airport in Iceland, another 174 km to the Landeyjahöfn ferry terminal by truck again and 14 km by ferry to Heimaey island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. There they will live in the world’s first open-water whale sanctuary, established by the Sea Life Trust in April 2018.
Once they arrive in their new home in Klettsvik Bay, a 32,000 sqm inlet that is up to 10 m deep, they will first need to recover from the strain of the journey. The whales were prepared with training programmes that included specialised equipment and tailor-made stretchers, devised by animal experts and made-to-measured for each beluga. 20 years ago Klettsvik Bay was already home to the orca ‘Keiko’, who played ‘Willy’ in the Hollywood film ‘Free Willy’.
Andy Bool, the head of the Sea Life Trust, underlined what a “complex but inspiring project” the undertaking is. He said how grateful he is to Cargolux for its generosity in becoming Sea Life’s official transport partner. He knows that Cargolux’s experience with intricate logistics projects and its close coordination with Sea Life’s animal care team will ensure the best journey for ‘Little Grey’ and ‘Little White’.
Looking after the whales well
Richard Forson, Cargolux’s president and CEO, said that his airline is “honoured to have been entrusted with transporting the two whales. Our animal transport experts are proud to be part of a ground-breaking marine welfare project.” As a signatory of the UN Global Compact, Cargolux is committed to the UN’s sustainable development goals and keen to raise awareness concerning the necessity of promoting conservation and fighting illegal animal trade, Forson added. This is not the first time that the airline has deployed one of its Boeing B747Fs to transport marine mammals, the CEO closed.
