Heathrow Animal Reception Centre - HARC

04/10/2026

From rescued moon bears to beloved family pets, World Animal Day is an opportunity to celebrate every animal that passes through HARC and the dedicated people working behind the scenes to support their welfare.

As the UK's only all-species Live Animal Border Control Post, HARC plays a vital role in supporting the safe arrival of animals into the UK, ensuring appropriate care and welfare-focused handling before they continue their journey.

Today, we're celebrating the incredible diversity of animals we have the privilege of working with and our commitment to promoting high standards of animal welfare every day of the year.

❤️ Happy World Animal Day from the HARC Team.

23/09/2026

Recently, a group of rescued Asiatic black bears (moon bears) arrived in the UK from South Korea, where they had been rescued from the country's former bear bile farming industry.

As part of their arrival into the UK, the bears were processed through the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre (HARC), home to the UK's only all-species Live Animal Border Control Post.

Using our specialist Large Animal Facility, the HARC team supported the safe arrival, accommodation and inspection of the bears upon landing at Heathrow, ensuring animal welfare and import requirements were met before they continued their journey.

While much of our work takes place behind the scenes, this movement highlights the important role specialist border facilities play in enabling international conservation and animal welfare projects. From beloved pets to zoo animals and rescued wildlife, HARC helps ensure animals arriving into Heathrow receive appropriate care and welfare-focused handling at the border.

We are proud to have played a small part in the arrival of these rescued bears and wish them every success in their new home at Jimmy's Farm & Wildlife Park .
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03/09/2026

Big smiles from Gus because it’s nearly the weekend!☀️From Toronto to London, Gus stole all our hearts here at HARC!🤍🐶.

07/08/2026

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Thank you for your support Heathrow Animal Reception Centre - HARC ! “We see every day how the right training makes a difference when assistance dogs arrive after a flight. With more travelling through Heathrow than ever, consistent standards are vital to ensuring passengers have a smooth and straightforward arrival. As ADI celebrates this milestone year, we look forward to building on that progress together.”

28/07/2026

🏆 We're proud to share that the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre has been re-certified by
IATA CEIV Live Animals for a third consecutive cycle! 🐾

As Europe's only CEIV Live Animal Certified Border Control Post, this achievement recognises our continued commitment to the safe, healthy and humane transport of animals handled through the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre.

As the local authority, our team plays a vital role in safeguarding animal welfare, biosecurity and public health, while facilitating the movement of animals through one of the world's busiest international airports.

This re-certification reflects the dedication, expertise and professionalism of the entire HARC team, who work every day to maintain the highest standards of animal welfare, care and regulatory compliance.

💙 Congratulations to the whole HARC team! 👏 🐾

To learn more about what this achievement means, visit our LinkedIn page!

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/heathrow-animal-reception-centre/




International Air Transport Association (IATA)

We are proud to announce that the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre (HARC) has successfully achieved International Air Transport Association (IATA) CEIV Live Animals re-certification for a third consecutive cycle. The IATA CEIV Live Animals programme is a globally recognised certification that promot...

17/07/2026

Some arrivals make us smile a little extra... 🐾

Holly the Scottish Terrier and Kyle the Bernedoodle recently travelled together from Canada and were an instant hit with the HARC team. From playtime to rest time, these two best friends kept each other entertained during their short stay at the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre.

Behind the scenes, our Animal Health Officers carry out regular welfare checks and provide expert care to help animals feel safe and comfortable while they’re with us. It’s all part of our commitment to maintaining high welfare standards for every animal that passes through our doors.

Their journey was supported by JCS Pet Travel & JCS Livestock, who helped ensure their travel arrangements went smoothly.

Welcome to the UK, Holly and Kyle! ❤️

15/07/2026

🌞🐾 A greener future for Heathrow Animal Reception Centre!

We're proud to announce the completion of a major clean energy upgrade at Heathrow Animal Reception Centre (HARC), including the installation of 94 solar panels and new low-carbon heat pump systems. As the UK's only facility licensed to receive and process all animal species entering the country via Heathrow Airport, this investment helps us continue protecting animal welfare and UK biosecurity while reducing our environmental impact.

The new systems will help cut HARC's carbon emissions by nearly 56 tonnes per year, improve energy efficiency, and strengthen the resilience of this vital national infrastructure. All of this has been delivered while maintaining our 24/7 operation and high standards of care for the millions of animals that pass through our centre each year.

A huge thank you to City of London Corporation: City View for supporting this project as part of its Climate Action Strategy and commitment to a more sustainable future. 🌱💚

Read more here: https://news.cityoflondon.gov.uk/clean-energy-on-the-front-line-at-heathrow-animal-reception-centre/

03/07/2026

Even at the busiest airport in the UK, wildlife needs us. This baby kestrel was safely rescued by airside operations at heathrow_airport . We cared for this fledgling overnight before he could be transferred to a dedicated wildlife rehabilitation centre.

We continue to support 24 hour emergency animal response airside at Heathrow. Found an injured animal landside? Follow this link to search wildlife rescues near you: https://directory.helpwildlife.co.uk

10/06/2026

Meet the beautiful Phoebe who joined us at HARC all the way from Zimbabwe! Phoebe was flown in with & with the help of her agent , Phoebe was reunited with her owner .ae who was very happy to see her! We hope you're both settling in well to the UK 🫶🏻💙
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06/06/2026

We welcomed lovely service dog Fenrir off today with his handler Owen! They are off the travel around Europe and you can follow their adventures 🐶 Information on service dog arrivals can be found on the link on our profile!