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With help from American Airways Cargo, Lucy, a 16-twelve months-venerable Bengal tiger, has been relocated from an Eco Park in Mendoza, Argentina to The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota, USA. The transfer is a results of the broken-down Mendoza Zoo’s transition into an Eco Park, which has alive to gradually relocating its animal residents to sanctuaries where they will originate up unique lives with their mates.

Lucy’s run started with a truck hunch overlaying roughly 750 miles from Mendoza to Ezeiza Airport (EZE) in Buenos Aires. The transportation process used to be fastidiously coordinated with Intermodal, the forwarder designated by the Mendoza Ministry of Vitality and Setting, and American Airways Cargo. The carrier ensured seamless conversation between the teams at EZE and at the receiving set up at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in Unique York, ensuring a safe day out for Lucy.

Lucy used to be the final tiger at the Mendoza Eco Park, having arrived there in 2011 as phase of an animal trade with one more zoo in Buenos Aires. The Wildcat Sanctuary – an popular non-profit, privately funded sanctuary that presents a natural habitat for wild cats rapid of a home – had previously authorized two lions from Mendoza in 2018. At that time, the import regulations for lions were more lenient than those for tigers, who are belief to be an endangered species. With the zoo’s closure and its unique focal point on animal rights, there used to be hope that Lucy and her partner Violeta would possibly perhaps well neatly be placed in a first price facility more swiftly.

Nonetheless, years later, The Wildcat Sanctuary learned that Lucy and Violeta were quiet at the Eco Park. The run to position up their transport alive to three years of securing permits, navigating changing jurisdictions, and securing funding. Tragically, all over this time, Violeta handed away, making crew even more certain to rating Lucy to Minnesota.

On arrival in EZE, Lucy used to be flown on an American Airways B787-8 for an 11-hour flight to JFK. Sanctuary crew, including a veterinarian, met her there ready for the closing 1,200-mile onward drive to The Wildcat Sanctuary.

Lucy’s run marks the 2d animal that American Airways Cargo has helped rescue from Mendoza. In 2019, Sandra, a 33-twelve months-venerable orangutan, used to be moved to a sanctuary in Florida after being granted human rights needed to rating the run. With give a boost to from the courts in Argentina, American facilitated her safe passage to the US, where she came upon a brand unique home.

“It used to be an honor for American to supply our products and services to help in Sandra’s relocation help in 2019 and we are appropriate as proud to were ready to play our phase within the re-homing of Lucy to a more excellent atmosphere. Our teams labored in tandem with crew from the sanctuary crew to be sure that all the pieces ran like clockwork and we gaze forward to following Lucy’s story,” acknowledged Indy Bolina, Head of International Gross sales for American Airways Cargo.

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