Airline Fined $140,000 for 32 Puppy Deaths

Delta Air Lines has been ordered to pay fines totaling $140,000 for the suffocation deaths of 32 puppies on a St. Louis-to-Salt Lake flight four years ago.

The penalty was levied by the Agriculture Department for violation of the Animal Welfare Act on June 6, 1990, when Delta transported 108 dogs and cats in 58 kennels. The Boeing 737 cargo compartment apparently didn’t have enough oxygen to keep the animals healthy when the flight was delayed more than two hours because of weather.