LATAM flies 15 big cats in coordinated 30-cat sanctuary airlift

By James Calloway

LATAM Cargo’s Boeing 767 freighter carried 5.4 tonnes on its August flight from Buenos Aires toward Colorado: 2.5 tonnes of lions and tigers and 2.9 tonnes of specially designed transport crates.

The 15 big cats included eight tigers and seven lions, and their crate load weighed more than the animals themselves. FOUR PAWS arranged the wider relocation of 30 big cats to sanctuaries in the United States and South Africa, calling it one of the largest operations of its kind.

What did the animals require before flight?

In November 2025, FOUR PAWS veterinarians examined 62 big cats—32 lions and 30 tigers—plus two bears in under a month. After years in small concrete enclosures, the cats had dental disease, kidney problems, complications from declawing and poorly healed injuries.

IATA’s guidance states that carriers “should only accept animals that appear to be in good condition and health.” Every cat in the operation needed veterinary clearance before it could fly. Moving the 30 cats required months of veterinary preparation, international permits, specialist handling and coordination between airlines and ground teams.

Preparing and loading 30 crates took four days. The crates stood under a tent in winter rain and mud. Many cats had been trained to walk into their crates voluntarily, while veterinarians briefly sedated those without that training and placed them inside.

The crates then moved onto four trucks, which formed a convoy to Buenos Aires airport. FOUR PAWS team members later traveled with both 15-cat groups and checked on the animals as often as they could.

What rules governed the shipments?

The IATA Live Animals Regulations form the worldwide standard for flying live animals. Governments set and enforce the rules, while IATA member airlines are expected to follow them. Each aircraft captain also receives a Notification to Captain, or NOTOC, identifying the animals carried and their locations and quantities onboard.

CITES, the treaty that controls trade in endangered species, lists tigers in Appendix I, its strictest category. Importing an Appendix I species into the United States generally requires both an import permit and an export permit. LATAM said it validated CITES permits and veterinary requirements at origin, in transit and at destination.

U.S. law added two more layers. The Big Cat Public Safety Act, signed in December 2022, restricts imports of live lions and tigers, with an exception for sanctuaries that meet its requirements under the Fish and Wildlife Service’s implementing rule. Live wildlife must also be declared to the agency, enter through a designated port and be reported 48 hours before arrival.

How did the two routes work?

The 30 cats traveled in two groups of 15. The Colorado group, eight tigers and seven lions, flew on a dedicated LATAM charter from Buenos Aires to Denver with a technical stop in Santiago. Such a stop serves operational purposes rather than cargo delivery. From Denver, the cats went to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado.

More than 15 LATAM specialists from its commercial, legal, quality, operations and ramp teams worked on the move alongside freight forwarder DSV and local agent Intermodal Logistics Services. Planning started weeks before takeoff.

LATAM said the Live Animals Regulations provided controlled conditions for pressurization, temperature and continuous ventilation in the freighter’s hold. A specialist traveled onboard and supervised ramp procedures. LATAM Cargo’s senior vice president of operations, Daniel Leng, said a charter like this leaves “no margin for deviation.”

The Africa group comprised nine tigers and six lions headed for FOUR PAWS’ Lionsrock sanctuary in South Africa. Air France KLM Martinair Cargo flew six lions from Buenos Aires via Amsterdam to Johannesburg. AP reported that the Africa-bound cats would route through Frankfurt or Amsterdam, then drive about four hours to the sanctuary.

What does the operation mean for air cargo?

For shippers, the 2.9 tonnes of crates inside a 5.4-tonne load show that live-animal freight planning extends well beyond the animals’ body weight. Veterinary clearance, permits, crate training and specialist handling must align before departure. Four days of preparation and loading for 30 crates also put substantial ground work ahead of the airport handoff.

For carriers, the operation required specialist staff, a controlled hold, ramp supervision and close coordination with animal-welfare teams. Those dependencies leave little room for a missed clearance, handoff or handling step, matching Leng’s warning.

For forwarders, the itinerary had to combine permits, local agents, airlines, sanctuary teams and road transfers in one schedule. DSV and Intermodal Logistics Services supported LATAM’s move, while FOUR PAWS team members maintained checks across both routes.

FOUR PAWS said all 30 cats stayed calm throughout their flights and both groups reached their sanctuaries. More than 20 big cats remain at the former zoo while the organization searches for long-term homes. For those animals, any future flight will have to clear CITES and U.S. permit rules, meet veterinary and specialist-handling requirements and secure a sanctuary placement under the December 2022 Big Cat Public Safety Act.