AIR France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) joined forces with the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco to transport 46 tropical African juvenile tortoises to Senegal as part of a conservation project.
The transport of the tortoises, in six specially designed crates, to Le Village des Tortues in Noflaye was enabled by the specialist services of afklmp Cargo, which facilitated the tortoises' journey from Monaco to Dakar via its hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, reports London's Air Cargo News.
The transport of the tortoises is one phase of a three-year programme.
The programme includes management of the tortoises in quarantine within the Centre for the Protection of Turtles in Senegal - Village des Tortues, their introduction into the Koyli Alpha Nature Reserve in the northwest of the country, and their monitoring for a two-year period.
Since 2012, the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco has been home to several African spurred tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata), the third largest land tortoise in the world.
These herbivorous reptiles, from a breeding centre in Mali, were entrusted to Robert Calcagno, director-general of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, in order to educate visitors about the need to protect this endangered species.
'Protecting animal species, both on land and at sea, and making them known to the general public is a major challenge for the future. By housing these spurred tortoises, now an endangered species, we have allowed them to reproduce while raising awareness among visitors of the need to protect them. The logical outcome was to work to boost the local wild populations,' explained Mr Calcagno.
Mathieu Fleisch, vice president product & verticals for AFKLMP Cargo, said: 'Air France KLM Martinair Cargo is very sensitive to the protection of the environment and the preservation of endangered species. We were therefore delighted to join the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco in transferring the 46 African spurred tortoises to Senegal.'
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The transport of the tortoises, in six specially designed crates, to Le Village des Tortues in Noflaye was enabled by the specialist services of afklmp Cargo, which facilitated the tortoises' journey from Monaco to Dakar via its hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, reports London's Air Cargo News.
The transport of the tortoises is one phase of a three-year programme.
The programme includes management of the tortoises in quarantine within the Centre for the Protection of Turtles in Senegal - Village des Tortues, their introduction into the Koyli Alpha Nature Reserve in the northwest of the country, and their monitoring for a two-year period.
Since 2012, the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco has been home to several African spurred tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata), the third largest land tortoise in the world.
These herbivorous reptiles, from a breeding centre in Mali, were entrusted to Robert Calcagno, director-general of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, in order to educate visitors about the need to protect this endangered species.
'Protecting animal species, both on land and at sea, and making them known to the general public is a major challenge for the future. By housing these spurred tortoises, now an endangered species, we have allowed them to reproduce while raising awareness among visitors of the need to protect them. The logical outcome was to work to boost the local wild populations,' explained Mr Calcagno.
Mathieu Fleisch, vice president product & verticals for AFKLMP Cargo, said: 'Air France KLM Martinair Cargo is very sensitive to the protection of the environment and the preservation of endangered species. We were therefore delighted to join the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco in transferring the 46 African spurred tortoises to Senegal.'
SeaNews Turkey