March 18, 2013: A Tall Order for Terex Cranes
Membrey Transport and Crane Hire played a major role in the successful relocation of a rare Rothschild giraffe from the Melbourne Zoo in Victoria, Australia, to the Mogo Zoo on the southern coast of New South Wales, 800 kilometers away. For the job, they used a Terex AT-20 pick-and-carry crane. Because of the delicate nature of the cargo, Melbourne Zoo called in Membrey’s Transport and Crane Hire to transport Tanzi, the 10-year old, 4.8-meter-tall giraffe. The move, as part of the regional breeding program, would also reunite Tanzi with her sister Shani.
"We have moved a variety of large and small exotic zoo animals for around 30 years,” said Craig Membrey of Membrey’s Transport. “For this move, we were required to lift and transport the animal in a specially made giraffe crate and selected our Terex AT-20 as the best equipment for this task."
To minimize stress during the move, the Melbourne Zoo conducted more than two months of crate training to ensure Tanzi was relaxed and comfortable enough to travel in the crate. As well as the potential for emotional strain, transporting such a tall and heavy animal also presented a number of logistical challenges.
“Moving animals of this size requires detailed route planning, such as avoiding low bridges, while also ensuring minimum impact on the animal by completing the move in the shortest possible time," Craig said.
