Exotic & Zoo Animals
Exotic and Zoo Animal Transport from the USA to Asia-Pacific
Zoo collections, wildlife parks and private exotic consignments — including CITES-listed species — moved with the permitting handled.
Exotic and zoo animal movements are the hardest work in this industry and the reason boutique operators exist. Flying Horse Services has shipped zebras alongside horses, cattle, sheep and goats, and quotes mixed-exotic consignments into Asia-Pacific regularly.
The difficulty is rarely the flight. It is the permitting stack: CITES documentation where the species is listed, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service clearance, the destination country's own wildlife and veterinary requirements, and a receiving institution that actually holds the permits to accept the animals. Any one of those can stop a shipment that is otherwise ready to go.
Crating is the second problem. A species-appropriate crate is not a catalogue item — it has to be right for the animal, the sector length and the handling it will receive from people who have never seen that species before. We build ours.
What we handle
- Zoo and wildlife park collections
- Zebras, antelope and hoofstock
- Giraffes and large mammals
- Camelids and small mammals
- CITES-listed species
- Institutional transfers and breeding-program moves
How we do it
Equipment, people and permits.
The parts of an animal export that go wrong are almost never the flight. They are the crate, the paperwork and whoever is holding the lead rope at 3am.
CITES and wildlife permitting
Where a species is CITES-listed, the export and import permits sit alongside U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service clearance and the destination's own wildlife requirements. We assemble the stack and tell you early if a piece of it is not obtainable.
Species-specific crating
We build crates to the animal, the sector and the handling they will get — satisfying IATA Live Animals Regulations while accounting for the practical reality that ground crews at the destination may never have handled the species before.
Experienced attendants in transit
Professional stockmen and animal attendants travel with exotic consignments, monitoring the animals throughout the flight and handling the offload at the destination.
Receiving institution coordination
An exotic move is only as good as the arrangements at the far end. We coordinate directly with the receiving zoo, park or institution on permits, quarantine, offload and transfer.
Destinations
Where we move exotic & zoo animals
Each destination has its own protocol, timeline and market. These are the lanes where demand for this category is strongest.
FAQ
Exotic & Zoo Animals: common questions
What exotic species can you transport?
Flying Horse Services has shipped zebras alongside horses, cattle, sheep and goats, and handles hoofstock, large mammals and mixed-exotic consignments. Whether a specific species can move depends on the destination country's wildlife and veterinary requirements and on CITES status — that is the first thing we check.
How does CITES affect the timeline?
Substantially. CITES export and import permits, U.S. Fish and Wildlife clearance and the destination's own wildlife requirements sit on top of the normal veterinary timeline, and they run at their own pace. Start an exotic move considerably earlier than you would a livestock move.
Do you build the crates?
Yes, in-house. A species-appropriate crate is not a catalogue purchase — it has to suit the animal, the sector length and the handling it will actually receive. We build it rather than subcontracting the part of the job most likely to go wrong.
Can you work directly with our zoo's registrar?
Yes, and we prefer to. Institutional transfers go more smoothly when the shipper is talking to the registrar and the veterinary team directly rather than through an intermediary.
How much does an exotic consignment cost?
There's no per-head figure that means anything here — cost is driven by species, crating, permitting complexity, the number of animals and the destination, and it varies more than horses or livestock do. As a real anchor point, our largest mixed-exotic consignment has run well into six figures. We quote in writing after a feasibility review.
Also
Other things we move
Horses
Racing, breeding and competition horses moved door to door — barn in the United States to barn in Asia-Pacific.
Breeding Livestock
Cattle, swine, sheep, goats and poultry genetics moved as single consignments or as a recurring program.
Ready to move exotic & zoo animals?
Tell us the species, the number of animals, the origin, the destination and your target date. We come back with a written feasibility review at no charge.