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The airline is a statement issued on Thursday, September 2, said: "As an IATA member carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, takes maximum care in air transport of live animals and strictly follows all national, regional, and international regulations on the transport of live animals in line with IATA and ICAO procedures besides various governmental regulatory procedures."
The wildlife transport is carefully managed by various regulatory authorities both within the exporting and importing countries as well as by international authorities such as CITES, an international United Nations treaty comprised of 178 countries.
" The transport of all wildlife is conducted in full compliance with IATA live animal regulations for all species. Ethiopian Airlines has several live animals transit rooms at its hub at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport which are climate controlled.
"Ethiopian Airlines actively monitors compliance and has refused shipments that were found to be not in compliance.
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"We have procedures in place to exercise due diligence to the best of our ability when scheduling consignments for shipments, ensuring that shippers must present in advance a copy of all required licenses and permits, including CITES (if required) as well as any import permits, and required health documentation. We utilize the IATA live animal checklist to ensure each step of the process is in compliance."
The statement added that Ethiopian Airlines has contributed to conservation by assisting in the transport of endangered species between rescue centers or from conservation breeding sites, quite often at no cost as our contribution to conservation efforts.
"Any organization that opposes legal trade of wildlife, should direct their efforts to the countries that have authorized the trade within their respective laws and policies. These organizations should not base their conclusions on social media posts of persons beyond our control, which may or may not involve Ethiopian Airlines.
Africa's biggest airline opined it will continue to provide the highest level of humane transport options to its clients while at the same time, "ensuring compliance with all relevant laws and regulations as well as our internal policies".