Six Airlines Report Pet Deaths, Injuries

Ten animals were killed, injured or lost on flights by six U.S. airlines in May, the first month carriers were required to report the data to the government, according to figures released Thursday.

A dog escaped his kennel in the cargo hold of an Alaska Airlines flight and killed an Abyssinian cat named Tango in one of the four deaths reported by the Transportation Department.

Five animals were injured and one was lost, the report said.

“It’s been a hidden secret for so long how many animals are lost, hurt and killed,” said Barbara Listenik, a Brooklyn, N.Y., artist who campaigned for the reporting requirement. “That’s why I fought so hard for this.”

Congress in April 2000 enacted the law for airlines, which transport about 500,000 animals a year. The information, which the government will disclose monthly, “will help consumers make informed decisions about whether and how to travel with pets,” the Transportation Department said.

A dog and rat arrived dead on Continental Airlines Inc. flights due to natural causes, the May report said. A sheltie dog named Kelly had to be put to death after ingesting a toxic substance on a US Airways Group Inc. flight, according to the report.

Northwest Airlines Corp., Continental, Alaska Air Group Inc.’s Alaska, Frontier Airlines Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc.’s Comair also reported injuries and a loss.

“Obviously one injured or killed pet or animal on board an aircraft is too many,” said Jack Evans, spokesman for the Air Transport Assn., a Washington trade group whose members include major U.S. carriers. The 10 incidents reported show that problems are “the exception rather than the rule,” he said.

Groups such as the Cat Fanciers Assn. called the legislation requiring the animal reports the “Boris bill,” after Listenik’s dog.

Boris, a boxer-pit bull mix, ran onto the tarmac at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Christmas Eve in 1996, then dashed through a terminal followed by police and finally escaped through an airport door, Listenik said. The dog was found emaciated, dirty and injured six weeks later in an abandoned building in Queens, she said.

Boris required surgeries to recover and lived until February, when he died at age 17, Listenik said.

“I’m excited about seeing this bill put into play,” she said. “Animals are not cargo; they are people’s family members. Airlines have to take responsibility.”