Shipping Birds
BY LAURELLA DESBOROUGH
Copyright Laurella Desbrough (eclectusbreeder.com).
All rights reserved by the author.
Shipping Birds Via Airlines
(2000)
In 1999, bills were introduced
into the United States Congress
requiring airlines that shipped
animals via air cargo make major
changes in their procedures and
in the cargo holds by the end of
the year 2000. There was intense
lobbying from animal rights
groups to push these
requirements through, and there
was a strong effort by many
different animal hobbyists
(birds, reptiles, mammals, etc.)
to counter these proposals.
The legislation that actually
passed included two
requirements: 1) airlines must
train airline employees in the
handling of animal cargo, and 2)
airlines must routinely report
problems they encounter with
animal cargo shipments. The very
expensive requirement of
retrofitting all cargo holds for
animal shipments was not a part
of the final legislation.
However, shipping birds and
animals is not a simple matter.
Following is a brief discussion
of several issues regarding
shipping: the 'known shipper'
requirement, scheduling
shipments, shipment requirements
and appropriate containers.
"Known Shipper" Requirement
In 1999, the Federal Aviation
Agency (FAA) issued a document
(Change No. 55), geared toward
increasing the security of
air-cargo shipments. The FAA
warned airlines that there would
be increased checks and audits
of their cargo handling
procedures. The requirement that
a shipper be known does not only
refer to shipments of animals,
but to shipments of any type of
goods.
United Airlines indicates that a
known shipper is someone who has
made three shipments in the past
six months with United. In order
to prove this, one must present
the air bill numbers of each of
those shipments along with a
request for "known shipper"
status. Delta also has a known
shipper requirement. In some
locales, the air-cargo
department staff has not yet
been qualified to handle the new
regulations; these cargo
departments are telling
potential shippers that they
cannot accept cargo from unknown
shippers. In some cases, cargo
staff may tell shippers that
they must go through a courier
service. Of course, courier
agents charge fees.
Some cargo agents have revealed
a simple way to become a known
shipper: Ship three packages
weighing less than 1 pound each,
one at a time, over a three-week
period, counter-to-counter, with
a one-week interval between
shipments. Before doing this,
confirm with your chosen airline
that they accept this practice
for becoming a known shipper.
Scheduling Air Cargo
Shipments
Scheduling a shipment of one or
more birds via air cargo is a
feat in itself. You should plan
to spend one half to one hour on
the phone to make the
arrangements. Moreover, most
airlines require a reservation
at least 24 hours in advance,
and maybe even several days in
advance. Several airlines have
special 800 numberse for
scheduling shipping of pets or
animals. The main problem with
these numbers is that the staff
who answer the phones are
located in a main office far
from the cargo areas.
It is strongly advised that you
obtain the phone numbers of your
local air cargo departments and
call them directly. The local
cargo agents will be most
familiar with the space
available on the plane, as well
as have access to the computer
data regarding scheduling. In
more than one case, I have found
that the information provided by
the 800 number has been less
than complete, and the local
cargo agents have provided the
greatest assistance.
During the process of
scheduling, I always seek the
most straight-through flight
possible. When you have to
schedule a connecting flight,
most airlines require at least
two hours between planes to make
the connection. Agents for
connecting flights will
generally put the bird or animal
on the next available flight, so
the person receiving your animal
should be alerted to this fact.
Temperatures at the connecting
airport, as well as at the
airports of departure and
arrival, are important. Most
airlines have a temperature
range that they will not go
beyond in scheduling an animal
shipment — 45 degrees Fahrenheit
to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Some
shipments may have to be
scheduled for night flights in
the hotter seasons or may have
to be shipped Priority or Dash
instead of Air Cargo.
Shipping Requirements
Some requirements originate from
the airlines and some are state
regulations. Some airlines
require health certificates
indicating health status and
signed by a veterinarian. Some
airlines require a statement
that indicates the species of
the bird and whether or not it
is endangered. States such as
New Jersey and New York require
that all birds shipped into the
state be banded. Other shipping
requirements cover the bird or
animal's food and water
provisioning. Most bird breeders
do not place water in shipping
crates, but instead provide
foods which will keep the birds
hydrated, such as apples,
oranges and other fruits. Check
with other breeders to make sure
you are providing what the bird
needs for the trip, and provide
food for more than one day.
Container Requirements
Regulations have been
established that cover the kinds
of containers to be used in
shipping various species of
birds. Air cargo personnel, or
the 800-number agents, can
provide an overview of these
requirements. A primary rule of
thumb is that the container
should be just large enough for
the parrot to stand normally and
turn around comfortably.
Containers that are so large
that the bird has a lot of room
may actually be dangerous, as
the bird can be injured during
transport. Fledged parrots
should be shipped one to a
compartment to avoid problems.
It is recommended that perches
be at floor level for safety
reasons. Smaller birds are often
shipped together and provided
with perches.
For birds that can chew out of
plastic containers, like
cockatoos or adult parrots, some
breeders prepare an appropriate
wire enclosure that fits inside
plastic shipping crates. As well
as being beak-proof, containers
need to provide openings on all
sides for adequate air flow.
Generally, one side must have a
wire window and a stand-off so
that if something in cargo slips
against the crate, the stand-off
will prevent the window from
being totally covered. Some
people use plywood crates and
others use plastic cat and dog
carriers, sized according to the
bird. Air-cargo agents indicate
their most difficult problem
with shipping animals is that
shippers often do not properly
prepare the shipping crate.
Cargo agents want to be able to
see into the crate and establish
that there is nothing illegal or
dangerous being shipped with the
bird.
Shipping birds is an excellent
way to move them across the
country or the state in a short
time with less stress. Shipping
is most successful when you do
the following: develop a good
relationship with one or more
air cargo departments, plan
shipping schedules well, prepare
containers according to the bird
and species needs, including
food provisioning, and make
pre-shipment and post-shipment
phone calls to the receiver of
the shipment to make sure
everything is understood.
Continental Airlines Offers a
New Bird-Shipping Service (1997)
Recently announced at the
convention of the American
Federation of Aviculture,
Continental Airlines is offering
a new faster, guaranteed
service--QUICKPAK--for those
shipping birds and animals.
QUICKPAK was initiated in June,
1997, as an over-the-counter
flight-specific service for live
birds and animals. These
shipments must be presented at
the QUICKPAK counter one hour
prior to flight departure and
will be available for pickup at
the normal baggage recovery
time. Advance booking through
the Continental Live Animal Desk
is required. Call Continental
Live Animal Desk at (800)
575-3335 or your local cargo
office. Three sizes of shipments
are accepted as QUICKPAK
shipments. The minimum charge
for QUICKPAK is $149, including
tax, for the small kennel, which
measures 52 inches or less and
25 pounds or less. (Standard
kennels are 21 by 16 by 15
inches or smaller. The medium
kennel size is 53 to 66 linear
inches, and the weight limits
are 26 and 38 pounds at a charge
of $209. The intermediate kennel
is 67 to 77 linear inches, and
weight is 39 to 59 pounds at a
charge of $239.) The shipper
must pay in advance for counter
to counter. A health certificate
is required if the shipper
purchases insurance or requests
declared valuation. Maximum
valuation or declared value is
$1,200 per airbill.
Follow-Up Services For Your
Clients
Within 24 hours after shipping
birds, you need to make sure
that they have arrived safely
and determine if the client has
any immediate questions about
the birds. Information about the
location of the feeding dishes
in the cage and the diet is
critical to the successful
introduction of the young bird
into its new cage: Food dishes
should be placed where the bird
can utilize them easily. The
dishes should contain the types
of foods with which the bird is
familiar. Another call a week
after delivery to check on the
status of the bird or birds lets
your clients know that you care
about them and their birds, and
gives you the opportunity to
answer questions that have not
been presented previously.
Crating and Shipping
What kind of shipping crates are
you using? Many breeders use the
commonly available plastic
animal carriers with sturdy wire
doors. However, the crates are
easily opened unless the doors
are strapped or wired shut. An
easily opened carrier is an
invitation to losing birds. In
addition, if dropped from a
height onto a solid surface,
such as a concrete-floor storage
room or the runway tarp, these
crates can pop open if the
plastic is somewhat flexible.
Therefore, it is wise to use
strapping tape or metal straps
to assure that the crates are
secure. If a large, heavy
container falls onto the
carrier, it may be crushed. For
these reasons, many people who
ship birds use plywood crates
produced to their specifications
by local manufacturers. Certain
requirements have been set in
place by the airlines for
shipping live birds within the
United States. Your shipping
crates must meet these
specifications required by the
airlines. Communicate with
individual airlines for their
requirements. Some airlines will
not ship birds or other animals.
Shipping Unweaned Babies
Shipping unweaned babies is
not recommended, since it
can be an invitation to
disaster unless proper
precautions are taken. If
the birds are not in pin
feathers, there is generally
no problem with temperature;
however, younger birds can
be most safely shipped as a
group so they can maintain
proper body temperature. It
is most important that the
crate be clearly marked
Live Birds, to make sure
the airline workers do not
place the crate next to a
recently refrigerated
shipment.
Avoiding Shipping
Accidents
Crates with live birds need
to be carefully marked on
all sides so that it is very
obvious that the crates
contain live animals. Even
when crates are clearly
marked, events can occur
that impact the birds in the
crate. I once watched as a
crate of adult birds (which
had been placed on the
moving belt carrying them up
to the cargo hold) was
displaced and pushed off the
ramp onto the tarmac when
the attendants were not
looking. The crate landed
upside down and out of the
view of the workers. As the
attendants finished, one of
them saw the crate, picked
it up and gesticulated to
the other attendant who
shrugged his shoulders. The
attendant then placed the
still upside down crate into
the cargo hold. If this had
been a crate of unweaned
babies, nestled into
toweling, they would have
ended up with the toweling
on top of them. If heating
units were used, those units
would also be on top of
them. Certainly, they would
be in an undesirable, if not
a dangerous, situation for
many hours during the
flight. As it turned out,
one of the adult pet birds
was so traumatized by the
experience that it remained
in a stupor until it was
reassured by the owner with
words and gentle handling.
