"Report Finds Few Pets Die on Plane Trips"

Thursday, July 7, 2005

Report Finds Few Pets Die on Plane Trips 
By LESLIE MILLER
The Associated Press


WASHINGTON (AP) - A cat named Tango and an overweight black Lab mix called
Cave were among the four pets that died on commercial airline flights in
May, according to the government's first monthly report on such incidents. 

The figures released Thursday by the Transportation Department bolsters
airlines' claims that the vast majority of animals survive flying without a
problem. 

Some animal rights advocates had suggested that as many as 20,000 pets die
in airliners every year. 

"One injured or killed pet is one too many," said Jack Evans, spokesman for
the Air Transport Association, an industry group. "But virtually all animals
that are transported are transported safely." 

Six U.S. airlines reported a total of 10 incidents, including five cases in
which a pet was injured and one in which a pet was lost. 

More than 2 million pets and other live animals are carried by airlines
every year in the U.S. 

Two pets died aboard Continental Airlines. 

Cave, an 8-year-old black Lab mix was on a flight from Honolulu to Newark,
N.J. Cave was dead when he arrived at Newark. A necropsy revealed that the
87-pound dog had a severe heart problem and probably died because his heart
stopped. 

A second pet, an unnamed rat, apparently died of natural causes on a flight
between Houston and McAllen, Texas. 

In the other incidents: 

-A cat named Simbi escaped from its kennel while being carried from
Northwest Airlines' cargo warehouse to the passenger terminal. Simbi was not
found, the report said. 

-Kelly, a Sheltie, did not look well when she was taken off a US Airways
flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Washington. A veterinarian said Kelly had
ingested a toxic substance. She was put to sleep. A US Airways investigation
failed to discover what happened. 

-Tango, an Abyssinian cat, was attacked and killed in the cargo hold by a
dog that escaped from his kennel. Alaska Airlines found that the dog was
placed in a kennel not strong enough to hold him. The dog's owner was taken
into police custody and banned from the airline for a year. The dog was
banned permanently. 

On the Net: 

To see the report:
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/2005/july/0507atcr.doc


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************