Here´s a story to tell.

Once upon a time there was a lady on her way back to Germany from a tropical island holiday who, just like that, packed 5 eggs as a souvenir into her suitcase. Most likely this tourist did not know what rare and valuable turtle species she had taken with her.

Having arrived in Germany, the 5 eggs were confiscated by the customs office and brought to the Frankfurt Zoo, reason being that these eggs were 5 unhatched exemplars of the very rare and endangered hawksbill turtle.From there on the Frankfurt Zoo took them into their care and raised them to quite strong and sturdy teenage (not mutant nor ninja) turtles. One should mention that this species of turtle grows up to 90cm in length and stems a weight of up to 75kg. Now that´s quite something!

Since the hawksbill is one of the most fervently protected amongst the many endangered species, the federal agency for nature conservation decided to have the reptile transport service of GK Airfreight send the turtles as cargo back to their home in the Seychelles.

The pet airline service GK Airfreight played an important role in the organization of the documentary film ‘The Travelling Birds: An adventure in flight’ (Winged migration). Countless people certainly remember this wonderfully fascinating film, in which Jacques Perrin takes his microlight and flies over half the world with his geese. Six camera teams were needed for the diverse shootings showing 50 different species of birds in settings throughout all seven continents.

Plotting a course through a large variety of weather conditions and many different kinds of landscapes the teams traversed long enduring flights over vast distances – an experience beyond comparison. Shot over a period of three years, the film shows the ever recurring cycle of migratory birds over the course of a complete year.

At GK Airfreight we would be happy to advise you in any of these matters and of course we could gladly manufacture a kennel according to your dog’s size. Our high quality kennels are absolutely safe, and even exceed the strict IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR). Due to their high quality workmanship our kennels are robust and re-usable. Our experience has shown that buying dog containers that are cheap and/or too small, is not advisable.

We see the same sad situation time and again: in order to save money, people use sky kennels for their animals’ transportation by air that are too small. Each time we ask ourselves how important this ‘family member’ can be if it is treated like that. Aren’t owners aware of what they do to their precious pet? Those who want to save a few euros that way surely don’t know:

This is against the IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR) and non-compliance leads to high fines starting from 5.000 euros. In addition to that the airline will press charges against the owner. Moreover, there is a risk of the carriers’ losing their IATA licence. For all involved this is far from having a nice trip. 

We are the first choice when it comes to moving with your pet. The fact that many renowned relocation companies have relied on our services for many years speaks for itself. You, too, can make use of our sound knowledge and experience gathered in many years in regard to any aspect of live animal transportation! We gladly offer our services to be carried out directly from home to home.

You are afraid that moving with your pet might get complicated and wearisome? It’s all so simple if you have the appropriate partner. You don’t have to take care for or to worry about anything. We’re always there to help you with words and deeds. 

You are going on vacation and you don’t want to go without your dog? For trips taking longer than 4 weeks we recommend just to take your dog with you. Prior to your departure we’ll inform you about which formalities and entry requirements are to be observed in each country and how to care for your pet prior to flying. When it comes to feeding, for example, many dog owners are likely to go over the top – this being the reason for dogs “soiling” their surroundings and finally causing considerable delays. After all, we and our airlines make a point of ensuring highest hygiene and cleanliness standards. 

After elephants and white rhinos, black rhinos are the third biggest land animals on earth. In 1970, there were still about 65,000 black rhinos living in Africa. However, when in 1995 the population was reduced to 2,500 animals by increased poaching, some of the black rhinos were temporarily watched 24/7 by armed gamekeepers.

Well done, this reptile shipping wasn’t too easy. Transporting poisonous snakes can be quite complicated sometimes. It all starts with most of the airlines not shipping any poisonous snakes at all. And those who do are extremely safety-conscious, must be able to rely on us 100 percent and have strict import and export regulations. 

Dear pet owners,

do you want to know why I am so keen to handle the import of your pet for you? In spite of preparing for it means – even to private persons – completing forms and getting health certificates and import permits? And in spite of the import itself being accompanied by strict officialism and being carried out under pressure of time? It’s as simple as that:  Importing pets is a great pleasure to me. Nowhere else I can give more pleasure to pets and their owners at the same time and be a witness to their joy. Those poor globetrotters, whether on 2 or 4 legs, are often kept busy with their relocation for weeks, so frequently their pets are neglected. Pets, especially dogs, do not like to be alone for long periods of time. Therefore, it is important that their transportation runs smooth and without any delays or stress. After a long journey including the import of their own pets it is great to be a witness when people and pets see each other again and everything worked out fine.