Did you read the one about the forklift and the giant panda?

Rosie Clifford -
Forkliftaction Sparks
- 3 Jun 2021 ( #1028 )
1 min read
One of the more interesting loads covered by Forkliftaction News - Bei Bei the giant panda. <br />(Picture shown for illustration purpose only.)
One of the more interesting loads covered by Forkliftaction News - Bei Bei the giant panda.
(Picture shown for illustration purpose only.)
Our editor once said of Forkliftaction: 'if it moves materials, we cover it'. Well sometimes, these 'materials' are live animals.

In 2019, we covered the story of four-year-old giant panda Bei Bei's most excellent adventure to Chengdu, China.

The trip began when the staff at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington used a forklift to transport Bei Bei to a truck headed for Dulles International Airport.

After presumably shopping for some bargains at Duty Free, Bei Bei was escorted onto the FedEx Panda Express, to a specially 'decaled' Boeing 777F.

During Bei Bei's 16-hour non-stop journey from DC to China, he enjoyed an in-flight movie or two and a light meal that included a large stash of bamboo, apples and pears, two bags of leafeater biscuits, some cooked sweet potatoes and lots of water.

Has your forklift ever been used to move live cargo? Perhaps you have been responsible for shifting a particularly unusual or extra precious load? Forklift Diaries would love to hear about it SEND US A PHOTO OR TWO AND TELL US ABOUT IT


Some interesting facts about Pandas:
  • Pandas eat around 26 to 84 pounds of bamboo every day.
  • A newborn panda cub weighs just 90-130g, that's about 1/900th the size of its mother.
  • The scientific name for a panda is Ailuropoda Melanoleuca.

If you are interested in reading more interesting stories like the one about Bai Bei you can search the history of materials handling in Forkliftaction's News Archive.
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Blog articles provide perspectives and opinions and therefore may contain inaccurate or incomplete information. Forkliftaction Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions. If you feel that significant facts are overlooked, or have a different viewpoint on a topic addressed, we invite you to open a conversation in our Discussion Forums.
Editorial calendar - planned features
CONSTRUCTION FORKLIFTS
HANDLING GOODS IN THE COLD
LOADING/UNLOADING FREIGHT
BROWNFIELD AUTOMATION
FORKLIFT ATTACHMENTS
BATTERY AFFORDABILITY AND LIFETIME
FORKLIFT SAFETY
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Thanks to advertising with Forkliftaction, GemOne has experienced a significant enhancement in our online presence. Working with Forkliftaction has enabled us to boost engagement with our targeted audience, resulting in an increase in information requests and downloads of valuable materials from our website. Forkliftaction has consistently delivered outstanding results, helping us to effectively connect with the right audience.

Justine Lootens, CEO
Words of support …

Thanks to advertising with Forkliftaction, GemOne has experienced a significant enhancement in our online presence. Working with Forkliftaction has enabled us to boost engagement with our targeted audience, resulting in an increase in information requests and downloads of valuable materials from our website. Forkliftaction has consistently delivered outstanding results, helping us to effectively connect with the right audience.

Justine Lootens, CEO
Upcoming industry events …
February 24, 2026 - Panama City, Panama
April 8-10, 2026 - Jiangsu Province, China
June 10-11, 2026 - Cologne, Germany
Editorial calendar - planned features
CONSTRUCTION FORKLIFTS
HANDLING GOODS IN THE COLD
LOADING/UNLOADING FREIGHT
BROWNFIELD AUTOMATION
FORKLIFT ATTACHMENTS
BATTERY AFFORDABILITY AND LIFETIME
FORKLIFT SAFETY
Words of support …

Thanks to advertising with Forkliftaction, GemOne has experienced a significant enhancement in our online presence. Working with Forkliftaction has enabled us to boost engagement with our targeted audience, resulting in an increase in information requests and downloads of valuable materials from our website. Forkliftaction has consistently delivered outstanding results, helping us to effectively connect with the right audience.

Justine Lootens, CEO
Editorial calendar - planned features
CONSTRUCTION FORKLIFTS
HANDLING GOODS IN THE COLD
LOADING/UNLOADING FREIGHT
BROWNFIELD AUTOMATION
FORKLIFT ATTACHMENTS
BATTERY AFFORDABILITY AND LIFETIME
FORKLIFT SAFETY
Words of support …

Thanks to advertising with Forkliftaction, GemOne has experienced a significant enhancement in our online presence. Working with Forkliftaction has enabled us to boost engagement with our targeted audience, resulting in an increase in information requests and downloads of valuable materials from our website. Forkliftaction has consistently delivered outstanding results, helping us to effectively connect with the right audience.

Justine Lootens, CEO
Upcoming industry events …
February 24, 2026 - Panama City, Panama
April 8-10, 2026 - Jiangsu Province, China
June 10-11, 2026 - Cologne, Germany