Whales, Penguins, Dolphins, Bears and Eagles: FedEx Helps Friends of All Species

Today, the Shedd Aquarium welcomed home more than 10 tons of marine mammals that were temporarily relocated due to a major restoration project at its Oceanarium.  FedEx provided resources and expertise to safely transport the animals from Chicago to Connecticut and back.

Shedd’s seven beluga whales and four Pacific white sided dolphins enjoyed a nearly nine-month “vacation” to the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration near Hartford, Conn. While they were gone, their home in the Oceanarium wing of the Shedd Aquarium underwent a $50 million renovation.

The special charter flights FedEx Express provided for the Shedd Aquarium illustrate how FedEx leverages its global network and philanthropic resources to positively impact communities around the world.

This is not the first time FedEx has helped provide our animal friends a safe arrival to new homes.  Here are some of our more famous moves:

1. Giant Pandas to the U.S. - In 2003, FedEx transported two Giant Pandas from Beijing, China to the Memphis Zoo.  The pandas, Le Le and Ya Ya, are part of an education and conservation program between China and the United States.
2. Penguins with Patience - : After an eight-month refuge in California following Hurricane Katrina, FedEx brought 21 very special New Orleans residents back home.  A specially-chartered FedEx Express plane returned 19 penguins and two sea otters to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.
3. Cupid the Dolphin – When “Cupid”, a two-and a-half –year-old dolphin sustained injuries that left him unable to swim, the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network (TMMSN) came to his rescue on Valentine’s Day 2003.  Following his successful recovery, Cupid will now make his way to his new home at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, Calif., on a FedEx Express A-300 and MD-10.
4. Deano the Sea Lion Splashes to The Lone Star State - Tipping the scales at nearly 600 pounds, Deano made a transpacific flight from Hawaii to Houston on board a FedEx jet in late May of 2008, accompanied by Houston Zoo sea lion keepers and a Houston Zoo veterinarian to the Houston Zoo’s McGover Mammal Marina.
5. Orphaned Grizzly Bear Cubs – When two orphaned Alaskan brown bears needed a home in Sept of 2008, FedEx helped Kiak and K’etnu to their new home at the Indianapolis Zoo.
6. Bald Eagles – In 2007, the San Francisco Zoo has announced it was concluding itsCalifornia Bald Eagle Recovery Program in southern California. In June, the Zoo’s remaining nine adult bald eagles (5 females and 4 males) flew on the wings of a special FedEx cargo jet to the birds’ new home at the American Eagle Foundation (AEF) in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
7. Panama’s National Bird Flies Home – In 1997, FedEx, and The Peregrine Fund will deliver to Panama two young endangered Harpy Eagles, the country's national bird. The young Harpy Eagles will be released in Soberania National Park which is about 20 km from Panama City. The release is being accomplished in cooperation with INRENARE, the natural resource agency of Panama. The Peregrine Fund anticipates the young eagles will find suitable habitat in the Panamanian forest, mate and eventually help restore the species in the area.
8. Endangered Turtles Find a Home – Two 10-pound green sea turtles were hatched from eggs at The Turtle Hospital in December of 2004 as part of a research project conducted in conjunction with Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York to study diseases that afflict these endangered turtles.  In August of 2007, FedEx brought the two juvenile green sea turtles to their new Connecticut home at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.