Fedex has a history of special wildlife transportation missions and has added decals on some occasions. In 2011 & 2012 777 N892FD carried two pandas from Chengdu to Edinburgh and a month later two other pandas to a French zoo. In 2013 the MD11 carried two pandas from China to the Toronto zoo. The 2017 mission was to transport three-year-old giant panda Bao Bao from Washington, D.C. to Chengdu. The November 2019 mission also consisted of the transportation of another giant panda (Bei Bei) from Washington back to Chengdu. In November 2023 N886FD flew three pandas from DC back to Chengdu via Anchorage; on that occasion small additional "Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute" stickers were added.
The same photograph was used for all four jets. Additional bamboo leaves stickers were present on the 2011 & 2013 versions. A "Fedex cares" decal was present on the 2024 decal.
Images © Kevin Cleynhens (LGG), Olivier Mouhot (CDG) & Nick Dean (IAD)
Tags
Panda,
Wildlife
