The Most Unique Move We’ve Ever Done Tuesday Jun 21, 2022

On a crisp, November morning, just before 4:00 a.m., Dalton Conklin and Gary Gillespie took the company’s new pup trailer to the Washington National Zoo for a special move—unlike anything seen in Advance Relocation Systems’ history.

This move started at the zoo and the destination was the Dulles International Airport. It required a climate-controlled trailer, specifically set to 68°F.

With the trailer set in place, a large, aluminum cage was brought out. The cage measured approximately seven feet long by seven feet high by four feet wide. It wasn’t your typical-looking cage, though. Instead of metal bars, it was a solid aluminum box with lots of little slits in it.

So what was in the cage?…. A tiger!

“Just being that close to the cage and the amount of power coming out of it… that was just the most unbelievable thing that I've ever witnessed. You could just feel the power of this animal standing three, four feet away from this cage.” - Dalton Conklin, President, Advance Relocation Systems. 

The drive from the zoo to the airport only lasted about an hour, but it came with a full police and zoo staff escort. Once they arrived at the airport, they made their way out to the tarmac, where a FedEx jet was waiting to transport the tiger. This particular tiger was headed to Texas to mate with another tiger there. A forklift was required to move the cage from the trailer to the jet, where it was placed on a pallet specially designed for this purpose. 

Although this move happened more than 10 years ago, it still remains one of the most memorable projects, not just for Dalton and Gary, but for everyone at our company. Kudos to David Hilleman, VP of Sales of Marketing, for securing and coordinating that move! 

“In my entire lifetime, I never could have imagined that we would have moved any live animal on any of our trucks, let alone a tiger. Knowing that we were helping the whole system by facilitating moving this tiger so it could get to Texas and they could continue to breed it—just to contribute to that, it was unique.” - Dalton Conklin, President, Advance Relocation Systems.

At Advance Relocation Systems, we are experts in providing unique solutions for special moves. Whether it’s a tiger, a two bedroom apartment or a 200,000 square-foot commercial complex, we can handle it all. Contact us to see how we can help with your next relocation project.

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