FR2857946A1 - Living aquatic animals e.g. coral, transporting package, for aquarium, has living aquatic animals covered by plastic humidifier sheet for being protected from dehydration by contact with air and partially immersed in water - Google Patents

Abstract

The package (10) has living aquatic animals (12) and air (16). A plastic humidifier sheet (20) covers the animals to protect them from being dehydrated by contact with air. The package is filled with a certain quantity of water (14) such that the animals are partially immersed in the water. The package is closed for transportation of living aquatic animals. An independent claim is also included for a method of packing living aquatic animals.

Description

Packing for the transport of live aquatic animals,

  The invention relates to a package for the transport of live aquatic animals, including animals belonging to the branch of cnidarians, and a method of packaging such a package.

  The invention relates more particularly to a package 10 for the transport of live aquatic animals, especially animals of the cnidarian type, containing at least one live aquatic animal and at least one volume of gas.

  Live aquatic animals, such as corals or anemones that belong to the cnidarian phylum, specifically to actiniaries for anemones, are the subject of international trade most often intended to provide specimens for aquariums.

  These aquatic animals are thus exported from their country or geographical area of origin to different countries, which makes it necessary to package them for this transport and in particular for the duration of this period.

  Because of the distances between the country in which the initial packaging is carried out and the country in which the delivery is finally made, the duration of the transport may be significant. For this reason, the transport of aquatic animals is generally by air so as to reduce the duration of this transport as much as possible.

  During and for the duration of transport, live aquatic animals are, for example, individually packaged in a sealed package such as a plastic bag containing in a certain amount of water in which at least one animal is completely immersed.

  However, it is understandable that the choice of air transport to limit the duration of transport, and thus not to threaten the lives of animals, is not without impact on the costs of such activity.

  Indeed, for this type of transport, the costs are directly related to the weight of the goods transported, or such packages have a significant weight attributable essentially to the water they contain.

  In the case of aquatic animals of the cnidarian type, such as coral or other animals of the species Phylum coelenterata, these cnidarians have always been conditioned in such a way that during transport they are permanently totally immersed in water. water contained in the packaging and this to ensure their survival.

  It is the same with aquatic animals of the actiniary type, particular case of cnidaire, such as sea anemones.

  Thus, the people who carry on this trade have always considered before that, for their transport and in order to protect them, these animals had to be conditioned so as to be totally immersed, and this in spite of the chargeable costs. However, it is essential to ensure the profitability of such a trade that the costs are as low as possible.

  This is one of the reasons why plastic bags are frequently used as packaging because of their low cost and because they allow the animal to be kept temporarily in good conditions, including sanitary conditions.

  However, when they are filled with water, these packages are more exposed to risks such as perforation or tearing.

  To remedy these problems, the invention proposes a packaging of the type described above, characterized in that it comprises at least one wetting sheet for wrapping the animal so as to preserve the animal from a desiccating contact with the animal. gas contained in the package.

  Surprisingly, it has been found that, thanks to the wetting means constituted by at least one humidifying sheet for wrapping the animal, the aquatic animals had similar survival rates and arrived at their destination in good conditions, in particular sanitary conditions, and this even if the package did not contain water or a quantity of water such that the animal is not completely immersed.

  Advantageously, the profitability of such an activity is thus increased by considerably reducing the costs, especially those related to air transport, since it is possible to weight equivalent to transport more animals and in a lower volume.

  According to other features of the invention - the moistening sheet is a plastic sheet; - The moistening sheet is a sheet of paper - the package comprises a volume of air and a volume of water such that the animal is partially immersed; the volume of air is enriched with oxygen.

  The invention also proposes a method for packaging a live aquatic animal, in particular belonging to the branch of the cnidarians, in a package according to any one of the preceding characteristics, characterized in that it comprises at least the following stages consisting of to: (a) preparing the animal by wrapping it in a moistening sheet; (b) placing the thus wrapped animal in the package containing gas from which the animal is preserved by means of the wrapping moistening sheet; (c) closing the package.

  According to other characteristics of the method according to the invention: the animal is a cnidaire and it comprises a step (cl) of adding in the package a volume of water such that the animal is partially immersed; The animal is an actiniary, and it comprises a step (a1) prior to the step (a) of preparation consisting in disgorging the animal so as to reduce the amount of water it contains; - The method comprises a step (c2) of oxygen enriching the volume of gas before closing.

  Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows, for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended figures in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment embodiment according to the invention, which illustrates a living aquatic animal of the cnidaire type during the main steps of the method of packaging the animal in a transport packaging; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the invention illustrating a living aquatic animal of the actiniary type during the main steps of the method of packaging the animal in a transport packaging.

  In the following description, identical reference numerals designate elements that are identical or have similar functions.

  By convention, the terms left, right, upper, lower respectively denote elements or positions respectively oriented to the left, right, top, or bottom of the figures.

  In the description which follows the term branch 30 is used in the usual sense of the classification system of the animal kingdom.

  Figure 1 shows the main steps of packaging a live aquatic animal 12 in a transport package 10.

  The aquatic animal 12 is for example a coral belonging to the species Phylum coelenterata, that is to say more generally belonging to the branch of cnidarians.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the packaging method according to the first embodiment of the invention comprises at least the following steps: (a) preparing the animal 12 by wrapping it in a humidifying sheet 20; (b) placing the thus-wrapped animal in the gas-containing package 12, the animal 12 of which is preserved by the wrap-up moistening sheet; (cl) adding in the package 10 a volume of water 14 such that the animal 12 is partially immersed (c) close the package.

  Advantageously, it also comprises a step (c2) of oxygen enriching the volume of gas 16, usually air, before closing. The volume of gas 16 is more or less enriched in oxygen depending on the type of aquatic animal transported.

  The package 10 here consists of a plastic bag, transparent or opaque, and contains after conditioning at least one live aquatic animal 12.

  As shown in the figure, the package 10 is only partially filled with water 14 so that the total volume of the package 10 comprises firstly, in its lower part, a volume of water 14 in an amount such that the animal 12 is only partially immersed and, secondly, a volume of gas 16 in its upper part.

  The package 10 is closed at its upper part by closure means 18, preferably sealingly.

  The closure means 18 are for example constituted by removable means such as a clip, a clip or an elastic so as to allow successive opening or closing operations without damaging the package 10, alternatively by an operation heat sealing.

  According to the invention, the package 10 comprises at least one moistening sheet 20 for wrapping the animal 12.

  Advantageously, the humidifying sheet 20 constitutes a wetting means which preserves the animal 12 from any risk of drying out, especially in contact with the air 16, with the animal 12 being in contact being only partially immersed in the water 14.

  The moistening sheet 20 is preferably made of plastic, transparent or opaque, or in a similar material to limit the exchanges between the animal 12 and the volume of air 16.

  The animal 12, however, is not totally isolated in the humidifying sheet 20 and can thus be regularly rehydrated externally by being temporarily in contact with the water 14 which is not in particular static because of the manipulations of the packaging 10.

  In addition, the moistening sheet 20 itself is regularly remoistened in particular by the water 14 contained in the package 10.

  There is shown in FIG. 2 a second embodiment of a packaging method for transporting a live aquatic animal 12 in a package 10 which is similar to that of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the packaging method according to the second embodiment of the invention comprises at least the following steps: (a) preparing the animal 12 by wrapping it in a moistening sheet 20; (b) placing the thus wrapped animal in the gas-containing package 12, the animal 12 of which is preserved by means of the wrapping moistening sheet (c) closing the package.

  The living aquatic animal 12 included in the packaging 10 for the transport of live aquatic animals is, for example, a sea anemone belonging to the actinians phylum.

  In this second embodiment, the package 10 does not have water and the animal 12 must be preferably prepared for transport.

  In the case of an actinium or sea anemone 12, the preparation consists in particular in having the animal degassed beforehand so as to reduce the quantity of water it contains.

  Advantageously, when the animal 12 is an actiniary, the method therefore comprises a step (a1), prior to the step (a) of preparation, consisting in the disgorging of the animal so as to reduce the amount of water that it contains.

  The animal 12 is then wrapped in the moistening sheet 20 consisting for example of a sheet of paper or a similar material comprising cellulose.

  The paper moistening sheet 20 keeps the animal 12 in a humid environment sufficient to prevent it from drying out on contact with the air volume 16.

  Advantageously, the moistening paper sheet 20 is, after the wrapping of the animal 12, wetted by the body of the animal 12 so as to finalize the disgorging.

  Thus in accordance with the invention, the package 10 comprises at least one wetting sheet 20 for wrapping a live aquatic animal 12, in particular an animal 12 belonging to the branch of the cnidarians or the actiniaries.

Claims (9)

  1. Packaging (10) for the transport of live aquatic animals, in particular animals of the cnidarian type, containing at least one live aquatic animal (12) and at least one volume of gas (16), characterized in that comprises at least one moistening sheet (20) for wrapping the animal (12) so as to preserve the animal (12) from a desiccant contact with the gas (16) contained in the package.   2. Packaging (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the moistening sheet (20) is a plastic sheet.   3. Packaging (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the moistening sheet (20) is a sheet of paper.   4. Packaging (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a volume of air (16) and a volume of water (14) such that the animal (12) is partially immersed.   5. Packaging (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that the volume of air (16) is enriched with oxygen.   6. A method of packaging a living aquatic animal (16), in particular belonging to the phylum Cnidaires, in a package (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least the steps following: (a) preparing the animal (12) by wrapping it in a moistening sheet (20); (b) placing the animal thus wrapped in the gas-containing package (12), the animal (12) of which is preserved by the moistening wrap sheet (20); (c) closing the package .   7. A method of packaging according to claim 6, characterized in that the animal (12) is a cnidaire and in that it comprises a step (cl) of adding in the package (10) a volume of water (14) such that the animal (12) is partially immersed.   8. The method of packaging according to claim 6, characterized in that the animal (12) is an actiniaire, and in that it comprises a step (a) prior to step (a) of preparation consisting of bleeding the animal so as to reduce the amount of water it contains.   9. A method of packaging according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a step (c2) of oxygen enriching the volume of gas (16) before closing.