Live deer to fly north

Press, 29 November 1978, Page 2

Live deer to fly north

Father Christmas might not be the only one flitting through the sky with deer next month; a Queenstown firm has cottoned on to a similar idea. But these animals will not provide the motivating force for a wide-bodied sledge, says Les Bloxham, travel editor of “The Press.” Instead, they will fly in style from Central Otago to the North Island

in a converted DC3 aircraft formerly owned by Mount Cook Airlines.

The DC3 has been bought by Alpine Helicopters, Ltd, to fly the deer to venison farms in the Hamilton, Rotorua, and other central North Island areas.

At present the animals are trucked north, a threeday journey which often adversely affects their

condition. Sometimes deer have died on the trip. But by air, the deer will be there in barely four hours. The DC3. originally in the fleet of N.A.C., is being converted at Christchurch to accommodate about 40 deer. The flights will be made solely on a private basis by the company whenever required, possibly three or four times a month.