The Animal Defense Fund and the Humane Society of the United States are asking for an investigation by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) after seven out of fourteen puppies died after American Airlines Flight 851. The flight was to leave Tulsa (Okla) at 6:30 AM, but its departure was delayed by storms in Chicago.
The plane sat on the tarmac where it was delayed one hour, and the temperature according to the National Weather Service was 86 degrees at that time. Expected highs in Tulsa were over 100 degrees.
The policy of American Airlines is to restrict flying of pets in the cargo hold when the temperature is over 85 degrees.
When the plane arrived at O'Hare International Airport at 8:54AM, baggage handlers off-loaded the puppies, and were getting ready to re-board them to their connecting flights when personnel observed the puppies to be extremely lethargic. They tried to cool the puppies down, and the puppies were then taken to a veterinarian. Five puppies died initially, and two died later.
" If these puppies died because of the hot conditions in the cargo hold, then this would be a violation of the Animal Welfare Act - the suffering that these animals may have endured before they died is difficult to imagine - defenseless puppies (probably) trapped inside a sweltering cargo hold," stated the HSUS.
In 1994, Delta Airlines was fined $140,000 by the USDA for failing to provide animals " humane transportation" under the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act when 32 puppies died after being transported in the cargo hold of a Delta Boeing. Circumstances were similar to this incident; the flight was delayed and of the 52 animals that survived the flight, oxygen deprivation and stress were documented.
It is strongly recommended that animal owners take careful precautions when transporting animals in the cargo holds of airplanes, especially during the summer months. Always try to fly direct, and insist your pet be removed from the plane if the flight is delayed. Place ice-cubes in a plastic baggie, and put them in your pet's carrier so he has cool water to stay hydrated during the flight. Make sure you see your pet's cage loaded onto the plane, and make sure your pet is off-loaded as soon as the plane is safely at the gate.
American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith is calling for a complete and thorough investigation and is awaiting the results of the necropsy.
Comments
puppies are really really cute!!!
i think American airlines is to blame for the puppies dieing because they should of known to unload all living things at the stop because the harsh temperature.
What a tragic event. I work for a company, handsnpaws.com and we service thousands of pet owners who travel with their pets each year and the last thing they would ever want is to get to their destination and have their family member dead! After all for many of us our pets are our family!
i bet the airline gets sued for this one .... its common sense its it hot you dont leave an animal in any vehical . they need to use there heads for something other than a hat rack
while tragic.. this overreaction is typical of HSUS and ADF..many pets travel safely each day .. on airlines.. in cargo holds.. everyone needs to know that the hold where live animals are kept on planes are kept at the same temperature as inside of the plane.. live animals .. including birds, cats, dogs, and reptiles are shipped.. fresh flowers are also in this compartment along with any other perishables..accidents happen.. and when they do it is very sad... however it appears that no one was on the plane that owned the dogs or they would have been inquiring .. I know I would have.
However the HSUS and others like them are looking for MONEY.. so when they stir up trouble like this.. you can bet they will be suing with one hand and begging for donations with the other..we are lucky to be able to travel with our pets.. and 99.9% of them arrive exactly like they were when they left.. alive and well...
Friends Don't let Friends Donate to the HSUS
It's not an overreaction to call for an investigation after seven animals have died under tragic circumstances, if for no other reason than to prevent the situation from re-occurring. Even the American Airlines spokesman called for an investigation. The temperature in a plane's cargo hold can differ dramatically from the temperature inside the cabin, so pet owners should definitely take precautions. Check out humanesociety.org or aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/pet_travel/pet_travel_basics.shtml.
Who died and made H$U$ "king of anything"? 7 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS(The Humane Society of the United States)1. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a “humane society” in name only, since it doesn’t operate a single pet shelter or pet adoption facility anywhere in the United States. HSUS operates sanctuaries for large animals only, not shelters within the commonly accepted definition of shelter. During 2006, HSUS contributed only 4.2 percent of its budget to organizations that operate hands-on dog and cat shelters. In reality, HSUS is a wealthy animal-rights lobbying organization (the largest and richest on earth) that agitates for the same goals as PETA and other radical groups. For more info go to www.humanewatch.org
I agree the airline should step up and take some blame, BUT so should the owner (shipper of dogs) why do we always blame others, we need to learn to take responsibility, they to are as much to blame,, dont they watch the weather??wake up,quit passing the buck.If we all grow up america might be a better place.People drive animals all over the US, if you ship across country pay to have them saftly delivered.ASK QUESTIONS,grow up and learn to be responsible....
Wake up people. The Airline needs to take some responsibility for this tragedy. The temperatures that day were way to hot. The puppies should have never been allowed to fly that day. The other contributing factor is if these puppies came from a responsible breeder they would not even have been left off at the airline. If they came from a puppy mill there were most likely not well. People who think they are getting a deal when they order pets on line are only fooling themselves. If you really care about animals you will go to a local breeder or shelter.
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