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U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service Thanks FedEx Express for Polar Bear Rescue Mission |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
August 12, 2003
Contact:
Sally Davenport, FedEx, 901/434-7765 or 901/508-2075
Tom MacKenzie, FWS, 678/296-6400
WHO:
Kevin
Adams, Chief, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law
Enforcement
Stephen Liberto, Vice-President of Global
Trade Services, FedEx
WHAT:
Award Presentation
for Polar Bear Rescue Mission
The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service will honor FedEx
Express
for its assistance last fall in transporting six seized polar
bears from Puerto Rico to three mainland zoos. The Service's
law enforcement chief will present awards to several of the
FedEx Express team members for their significant and
much-appreciated contributions to this complex animal rescue
mission.
WHEN:
Wednesday, August
13, 2003, 1:30 P.M.
WHERE:
FedEx
3650 Hacks Cross Rd.
Bldg E-3
Memphis, TN 38125
MEDIA ALERT:
Media must notify
FedEx contact in advance of their attendance and bring credentials
and photo identification to the FedEx facility for security clearance.
BACKGROUND:
On November 5, 2002,
special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seized six polar
bears from the Hermanos Suarez Circus in Yabuccoa, Puerto Rico, in connection
with alleged violations of federal wildlife laws and regulations. The
animals, which were in poor health, were seized under a federal court
order to ensure their safety and well being. On November 19, 2002, FedEx
Express transported the bears at company expense from Puerto Rico to
Memphis and then on to three facilities approved by the American Zoological
Association, where they have received professional veterinary care and
any necessary medical treatment. All but one of the bears survived the
move. The animals have thrived at their new homes at the North Carolina
Zoo in Asheboro, North Carolina; the Detroit Zoo in Detroit, Michigan;
and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. About 40 people in
Puerto Rico helped transport the bears -- averaging about 1,000 lbs
each -- to their travel cages, after they had been tranquilized by veterinarians
from several zoos and bear conservation organizations.
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