A guide to Special Cargo by Röhlig-Grindrod

When you’ve been in the freight industry for as long as we have, you’re bound to have the odd request from a client. What do we do? We explore the requirements and accept the challenge, be it big or small. We actually pride ourselves in undertaking challenges and pushing the limit when it comes to freight forwarding. Some of the strange requests we’ve received, include live animals, vintage cars and engine blocks from the world’s finest locomotives. Whatever your requirement, we’re glad to accept the challenge and constantly test ourselves.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting our proudest achievements with a series of odd requests and how we dealt with them.

White Lions visit Prague:

In 2014 we were tasked with moving 2 white lions and 2 serval cats by air freight from Johannesburg to Prague in the Czech Republic. This was part of an exchange between the Lory Park Animal and Owl Sanctuary, situated in Midrand, and the Animal Park in Prague.

The main challenge with this job was navigating the strict regulations around the import and export of live animals, especially endangered species such as the white lion, which has been a target of canned hunting in South Africa. The animals were inoculated against internal and external parasites and feline viruses, and once they arrived in Prague underwent a 30 day quarantine period. We handled the import and export permits as well as health permits and veterinary inspections which all needed to be completed before the animals were moved. We also sourced special wooden crates to protect our furry friends during transit.

As you can tell, we took a route involving tons of research based on keeping the lions healthy along with every step to ensure they reached Prague safely.

No matter what your cargo is, we’ve got what it takes to get it to your destination.