The Log Book is a weekly rundown of human interest stories related to the transportation industry. This week: DHL helps rescue five lions and a tiger; Schneider receives the SanMar Mask Award; and C.H. Robinson begins taking applications for student scholarships from carriers and employees.
DHL helps rescue wild cats from Ukraine
Supply chain company DHL Global Forwarding announced it recently assisted in relocating five lions and one tiger from captivity in the Ukraine to the Simbonga Game Farm & Sanctuary in South Africa.
“Transporting wild cats is always a great challenge and requires the trust and cooperation of all parties involved,” said Lionel de Lange, director of animal rescue nonprofit Warriors of Wildlife and director of the Simbonga Game Farm & Sanctuary.
“With DHL as an experienced animal logistics partner, we were able to manage this complex coordination effort with ease and bring the animals safely back to their home. Now the lions and the tigress are in the very best environment with the proper care they need,” he said.
The animals were rescued from two private zoos in south Ukraine. The DHL team, along with veterinary specialists, flew the animals from Boryspil International Airport to Johannesburg, then traveled over the road 693 miles to the game farm.
“To make the journey as pleasant as possible for our special guests, profound expertise and a well-coordinated team are key. Our ‘lions and falcons of DHL,’ as I like to call our staff, brought the animals safely back to their wild home base,” said Amadou Diallo, the CEO of DHL Global Forwarding in the Middle East and Africa.
“In the sanctuary of Warriors of Wildlife, they are finally back where they belong — two of them have South African parents. The lions — Hercules, Cher, Khaya, Ilana, another male lion that was named Arslan by our Turkish airfreight team, as well as the tiger Kisa — traveled with us for 72 hours. Not an easy job, but one we accepted wholeheartedly,” he said.
This is not DHL’s first animal transfer. The company has helped relocate brown bears, pandas and the famous elephant Kavaan, star of Paramount+’s “Cher and the Loneliest Elephant.”
Schneider honored for distributing pandemic supplies
Transportation and logistics services provider Schneider announced Monday it has received an award from apparel and accessories supplier SanMar for its role in distributing masks throughout the pandemic.
Schneider was the only trucking company to receive the SanMar Mask Award.
“I’m proud that SanMar was confident they could look to Schneider to be a part of this supply chain. Since we began working together in 2016, our relationship has steadily grown and there is a strong bond of trust,” said Jim Filter, senior vice president and chief commercial officer at Schneider.
While SanMar has been producing clothing and accessories since 1965, the Seattle-based company pivoted to manufacturing masks for hospitals and health care workers as part of a coalition of U.S. apparel companies working with the White House during the early days of the pandemic. Schneider continued to support SanMar with its logistics services during that time as well.
“I would view our relationship with Schneider as one of our most strategic relationships in the transportation and shipping space,” said SanMar Director of Global Logistics John Jansen. “Especially in these challenging times, we can depend on Schneider. When we need additional equipment, capacity or other services, it’s really easy to pick up the phone and make that call.”
C.H. Robinson opens applications for foundation scholarship program
Logistics provider C.H. Robinson is now taking applications for two scholarship programs under its nonprofit arm, the C.H. Robinson Foundation.
Until 3 p.m. CST Feb. 28, undergraduate students can apply for one of two scholarships, one administered to children of C.H. Robinson employees and the other to children of qualified contract carriers who work with the logistics provider. This is the 10th year for the C.H. Robinson scholarships, which are administered by Scholarship America.
“Trucking is the backbone of the economy and carriers work incredibly hard, often being on the road away from their families. It’s an honor to help them support their kids’ and their employees’ dreams of going to college,” said Angie Freeman, chief human resources and environmental social governance officer for C.H. Robinson and president of the C.H. Robinson Foundation.
“Every recipient’s story is so compelling – we’ve had a winner whose family had been in the trucking industry for 42 years, a winner who was grateful for help when the pandemic first hit and a dad who proudly called us the day his son got accepted to Harvard Medical School, after the scholarship helped his son get his undergraduate degree.”
Last year, 25 children of employees and 25 children of carriers were awarded $2,500 each to attend the school of their choice. C.H. Robinson plans to give funds to the same number of students this year.
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