How To Ship A Panda
April 09, 2013
Everyone loves Pandas. Despite the fact that yes, they are in fact bears with teeth and claws, they just look so adorable. We asked our Ernest Packaging Solutions Consulting Team to rank the Awww factor of a panda, and it ranked very highly. (It was just narrowly being beaten out by a baby Dik Dik.)
Zoos around the world want to share the experience of seeing pandas up close, but have you ever wondered how they get a panda from their home in China to the zoo halfway around the world — in this instance, being shipped to Canada? And what does it teach us about packaging our products?
Step 1: Acclimate
The white enclosures that held the pandas on their flight from Chongqing Zoo to Toronto were placed in their habitat in the zoo prior to shipping so the pandas could get used to the containers in a comfortable setting before flying.
Step 2: Protect
The containers will be securely fastened in the large FedEx cargo plane so that any turbulence or jolt upon landing won’t shake up the pandas. The containers also have a viewing window so the pandas can be monitored during the trip, and the cargo hold will be temperature controlled.
Step 3: Keep Them Happy
According to FedEx’s blog, each panda will have more food than we’re used to on our flights:
- 100 kgs of bamboo
- 150 kgs bamboo shoots
- 50 kg of apples
- 15 kgs of fresh water
Who would have thought panda’s would need so much food for a 15-hour flight!? Well, as long as it keeps them comfortable and safe, we’re all for it.
Whether you’re shipping pandas, ice cream sandwiches or a chandelier, the steps to amazing, effective and creative packaging are the same … well, except for the bucket of apples. Protect your product, keep it at the right temperature and don’t let it escape, because as we keep saying, it is a bear. An adorably cute bear.
