Gentle loading for sensitive live loads

TRANSPORTING TWO manatees 669 km from Odense Zoo in Denmark to Duisburg Zoo in Germany posed a logistical challenge for all involved. But with the help of a Clark rental forklift, Manfred (5) and Pablo (3), arrived at their new home at the zoo’s Rio Negro tropical hall healthy and in good spirits.

A special application requires special tools

The manatees started off their journey to the Ruhr area in two heatable trucks. A company specialised in transporting large animals not only provided the vehicles, together with the manatees' travel accommodation. These were two special boxes with an empty weight of over 900 kg, which were filled with water during the transport. 

Weeks before the transport date, the zoo staff got in touch with Clark Europe. They needed a forklift truck which would allow them to carefully move the transport boxes out of the truck and transfer the manatees safely to their new home. "We needed a forklift that could lift at least four tonnes, because we didn't know in advance exactly how heavy the transport box, including water and manatee, would be," stated Christian Schreiner, press spokesman for Duisburg Zoo. 

Additionally, as the zoo had to unload the 3.6 m long steel-framed wooden boxes lengthwise from the back of the truck, extra long forks were also required.

The was also an additional hurdle, as the load involved living creatures which could shift position during transport. With a moving load, there is a risk that the centre of gravity of the truck will move, while, in the worst case, it could even tip over. Given this, the rented forklift had to have as high a residual load capacity and stability as possible, so that the boxes - which were additionally secured with tension belts - could be transported safely. 

"Clark immediately responded to our enquiry and offered us a suitable vehicle," said Christopher Grefer, an employee at Duisburg Zoo’s technical department. The company provided a Clark GEX50 electric forklift with 80 V and a load capacity of 5 tonnes.

The GEX50 can be operated very precisely via mini levers integrated in the armrest. Even with the steering fully engaged, the vehicle moves off sensitively thanks to its parallel front drive. When the driver activates the direction switch, the vehicle brakes gently and then accelerates again progressively in the selected direction of travel.

An integrated tilt lock valve on the mast prevents the mast from tilting forward too quickly or unintentionally during load handling. The service brakes are encapsulated and thus protected from dust, moisture and aggressive media - i.e. also from rain in outdoor use. The Clark GEX50 was therefore ideal for this particularly demanding application. 

"With Clark, we can always rely on getting exactly the vehicles that meet the often very special requirements at our zoo through short official channels," Grefer added. The zoo has worked with the Duisburg-based industrial truck manufacturer for several years and, in addition to various transport and service vehicles, also has a Clark WSX12 electric high lift truck in its fleet.

Forklift operation in slow motion

When the trucks arrived at the zoo at around 10 pm on the day of the operation, more than 20 employees were ready to receive the new arrivals. As night set in, with the help of the Clark electric forklift, the special boxes were lifted safely one after the other onto the specially made heavy-duty roller board mounted on a specially built gallery. 

To do this, the boxes first had to be unloaded from the truck, set down on the ground and then picked up again crosswise on the forks. This was the only way to lower the cargo onto the rolling board. 

Despite the darkness, everything went smoothly. This was not least due to the fact that the truck was equipped with Clark Blue Lights at the front and rear in addition to working lights, rear combination lights with brake lights and reversing lights. This significantly increased safety.

"Thanks to the Blue Light, not only did I have a better view to the rear when reversing, but my surrounding colleagues always knew in which direction the truck was moving. The front Blue Light was very helpful when threading into the transport box,” Grefer highlighted. 

To ensure the safety of the two manatees, each individual work step was carried out slowly. "We made sure that every movement was slow and fluid. Vibrations were to be avoided at all costs," Grefer continued. "The Clark forklift could be operated very sensitively using the mini-levers, so that I could pick up the box very carefully and set it down on the roller board on the gallery. The integrated sideshifter was also helpful. With it, the forks could also be moved sideways and I didn't have to constantly reverse."

Perfectly planned and executed in teamwork

When both boxes were securely on the rolling board, it took ten keepers to push each of the water-filled crates together with the manatee to the edge of the water area of the tropical hall. The keepers then placed a kind of hammock, called a stretcher, underneath the manatee. Following this, with the support of a slewing crane, the animal was lifted out of the box and safely into its new home. 

With Duisburg Zoo curator Sandra Dollhäupl overseeing the transport, the zoo put together multiple teams to ensure that every single step went smoothly. "For example, there was the Forklift Truck team, whose only task was to make sure that the transport of the box by forklift truck was as gentle as possible," said Schreiner.

"For example, a colleague from the Forklift team's only task was to instruct Christopher Grefer on unloading the transport boxes from the truck and unloading them on the roller bed." All involved practised their respective tasks several times beforehand to ensure that when the time came, the manatees could be moved safely into their new home.

This logistical challenge was a first for Duisburg Zoo. "In order for the logistical process 'manatee loading' to be successful, all the cogs had to mesh seamlessly," Schreiner emphasised. "In this process, the Clark forklift had a very important function. We are glad and grateful that we could once again rely on Clark."

Sabine Barde is head of corporate communications at Clark Europe

For more information: 

clarkmheu.com

Tel: +49 2065-499 13-0