Quick Helps Save Endangered Lemur Species

Quick International Courier Begins Work With Zoos in St. Louis
and Omaha to Help Save Endangered Lemur Species
The Courier Times, September 2008

‘Out-of-the-box’ courier salesman in St. Louis provides innovative transportation solutions for zoos after developing niche transporting horse seminal fluid for breeders and getting his company to donate logistical services to transport human breast milk to South Africa for AIDs/HIV orphans.

QUICK INTERNATIONAL COURIER, a high priority transportation company that specializes in providing logistical services and transporting out-of-the ordinary and unusual shipments that are time sensitive and life critical such as organs for transport, stem cells, blood, specimens for clinical trials, parts for down planes/assembly lines, has begun working with zoos in St. Louis and Omaha to help save the endangered lemur species in Madagascar.

In July Quick transported a first shipment of lemur serum from Madagascar to the Saint Louis Zoo Center for Lemur Conservation in Madagascar. In August another shipment will be delivered to the Omaha Zoo Center for Conservation and Research. Scientists at the zoos will use the lemur serum for molecular, genetic and biolological research as part of a conservation effort to help preserve the threatened lemur species. Most lemurs are listed as an endangered species . Many have gone extinct due to habitat destruction. Conservation of lemurs in Madagascar is a high priority, but the country's poor economic situation makes it an uphill battle.

“We are thrilled to have an opportunity to assist zoos involved in conservation efforts for endangered and threatened species,” said Quick International Courier President Robert Mitzman. “It is a natural market segment for us to continue to grow our business. I commend Steve Zeiger, our national sales representative in St. Louis for his creative thinking and providing solutions for the zoos.”

In addition to the zoos, Zeiger was transported into the horse breeding world after talking with a customer at the Central Kentucky Blood Center who asked him if he ever thought about shipping horse seminal fluid used to inseminate mares to get them pregnant for special breeds. Zeiger then began doing business with horse breeding clients like the Select Breeders Service in Maryland and Texas who use Quick to ship horse seminal fluid for their farms. Shipments recently went to Canada and France.

Another Zeiger initiative came about while watching local news broadcast about the International Breast Milk Project (IBMP). He came up with an idea to get Quick to donate its services to transport IBMPs shipments of U.S. donor breast milk to South Africa for babies orphaned or abandoned as a result of AIDs/HIV. Quick’s Chief Operating Officer Dominique Bischoff-Brown got totally behind his idea and made it her mission, actually traveling to Africa and contributing the company’s logistical and transportation services for three different shipments that were picked up in California and delivered to Africa.