Animal Rescue Transport Idea

[Cobra]

Hey Guys, i was just struck by an Idea:What If the C-130,et.al were used by groups like RSPCA,Etc. as Animal Rescue Transports for Disaster response,Etc.? think it would Work? Thanks For looking.Dan

[Maverick]

Seems eminently plausible Dan.  Cargo birds have a lot o' space in the back, naturally, so plenty of room for cages and the like.  After all, animals are freighted by air routinely.

Regards,

Mav

[PR19_Kit]

I think it already is happening.

Sometime last year there was a TV programme about a guy who was moving a whole bunch of different animals from an area in Africa that was threatened by serious drought. They used a white painted C-130 as I recall, and loaded some of the animals on board in cages but two or three horses self-loaded themselves! It didn't say if this was a regular shipment, but I got the impression it was a one-off at that time.

[Weaver]

They routinely fly race horses by air, in fact I think I'm right in saying that that was the last job that Bristol Freighters had. Wild animals are a bit different of course: at least some would have to be sedated or in serious cages.

You could do it in much the same vein as micro-nation air forces, i.e. what if the World Wildlife Fund had a budget big enough for it's own air force? Visions of a Skycrane lifting an elephant spring to mind.... Not so crazy: it's been done with unsedated horses and cattle. They struggle a bit at first but soon settle down: even a cow's bright enough to realise it's go nowhere to go at 1000ft.

Off at a tangent slightly, I got my Revell Rotodyne from Oxfam in Edinburgh for a very low price, so it occurred to me to do it in Oxfam colours unloading aid in a similar "private air force" kind of way.

[Old Wombat]

Zoo's do more international airlifts than many people realise but they are one-off's, each time.

Of course, we could decide that here the Wildlife Heritage Intervention Fund supports the rescuing of wildlife all over the world, wherever it is threatened, transporting significant numbers to sanctuaries where breeding populations can be maintained until the local threat (be it war, poaching, flood, drought, disease, etc.) has passed.

I've got my plane picked out! Just have to think about colours & markings.

[PR19_Kit]

Wildlife Heritage Intervention Fund

Oh VERY good! 

[tigercat]

I can practically see the television documentary about their work  presented by Rolf Harris

[raafif]

would each animal / cage be fitted with a parachute ?

There was an incident when an elephant was transported by a circus on an early monorail train -- it got scared & charged thru the carriage wall  to freedom !

Skydiving hippos anyone    

[RussC]

Sounds a lot like the movie "operation Dumbo Drop" ----------http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZSP_7odUpc[url]]