Chennai: As part of Air India’s corporate social responsibility, the national carrier has offered free air transportation to two endangered African Slender Snouted Crocodiles belonging to Chennai Crocodile Bank from Chennai to Ahmedabad.
The reptiles, weighing 111 kgs, will be brought to the domestic cargo section carefully protected in a plywood box. This is the second time the airline is offering this service free of cost. The airline had airlifted two Tomistoma crocodiles from Ahmedabad to Chennai back in 2010.
The flight carrying reptiles will depart from Chennai at 5.20 pm on Thursday and reach Ahmedabad within two hours. “Transporting by air is less stressful to the animal as the temperature is controlled inside the aircraft and travel is much quicker than road,” said Soham Mukherji, wildlife biologist.
There are currently no crocodile at Sundarvan Nature Discovery Centre at Amedabad that has snakes, lizards and tortoise. The public will welcome the addition of a crocodile.
