Pelican Cases Protect 1.9 Million Year Old Man

Torrance, CA -

To protect, secure and transport 1.9 million year-old fossil specimens that could change the way human evolution is viewed, Professor Lee Berger turned to Pelican Cases.

“We made a conscious decision to use Pelican cases after I had used them for years as a National Geographic Explorer and had watched professional photographers and divers use them to protect valuable equipment in extreme conditions,” said Berger.

He showed them off in a recent episode of CBS Television’s popular news show 60 Minutes. “I designed a modular system for these precious fossils whereby they sit in Pelican cases, each individually modelled for each component of one of the skeletons and then they are stored in fire-proof document safes. This gives them, in our opinion, what is probably the best protection that can be offered and given the shock resistance and waterproof nature of the cases, I am confident that even should the building collapse, our fossils would have an excellent chance of survival.”

“We also use these cases for transporting other fossils to and from scientific experiments and transport newly discovered fossils in from the field. Furthermore, coincidentally, I use the very same cases for the transport of the fossils to either place of scientific investigation or for display.”

I used the cases to transport the holotype specimen to Grenoble, France for Synchrotron analysis, where the fossils travelled as diplomatic bags, and in fact just this morning I am transporting four cases with the precious holotype skeleton of the child to Cape Town where they will go on public display for a week. All four cases are locked and escorted by government security and go on as hand luggage so you can tell we have great faith in Pelican cases – we, after all, are trusting what are among the rarest and most priceless objects on Planet Earth in them!”