Fatal mistakes in the air transportation of animals: who is to blame

Transportation of animals can be very roughly divided into two types:
Transportation of small animals in the passenger compartment
Transportation of animals in the luggage compartment.
If in the first case everything is quite clear and regulated in detail by the rules of the airline, then in the second case everything is much more complicated.

In order for an animal to be accepted for carriage with passengers, the following basic rules must be observed. For more details, see broker training.

The weight and dimensions of the animal do not exceed the limits established by the company (as a rule, the weight of the animal together with the container should not exceed 8 kg);
There is a special container, established by the rules of the airline and IATA, in which the pet is comfortably placed standing up, can turn around and lie down;
It is necessary to inform about the flight of the animal in advance by registering it. Otherwise, the quotas for the transportation of animals may not be enough for your pet and the flight will be denied;
It is necessary to arrive at the airport in advance to undergo veterinary control;
Before planning a trip, it is important to make sure that the country of arrival/departure does not prohibit the import and export of animals;
Some airlines require veterinary certificates of vaccination, as well as a special passport issued by a veterinarian.
However, we would like to take a closer look at the egregious cases of death of animals during air transportation, when the animal is transported as cargo in the luggage compartment.
Many owners are afraid that they will hand over a cheerful furry friend in their luggage, and they will receive a half-frozen animal in a state of stress, and it’s good if alive.

In the luggage compartment, a temperature of +12 to +20 degrees must be observed and the necessary ventilation must be provided, however, no one is immune from technical problems and, accordingly, a sharp drop in temperature. Who will be responsible in this case and will the airline admit its own mistake? In short, the airlines’ legal position is that an airline may be liable for injury, loss, delay, sickness or death of an animal when it is due to intentional misconduct or gross negligence on the part of the airline. If the animal died during the flight in the luggage compartment of the aircraft, first of all it is necessary to establish the cause of death. It may not be related to the flight, but indirectly related to it (for example, the result of the stress experienced by the animal, its consequences and complications). Agree, a strange and absurd excuse on the occasion of a gouged eye and a dissected eyeball in a dog that has flown in? It is hard to believe that the dog, being under stress, injured his eye on purpose. How and to whom is it necessary to prove gross negligence on the part of airline employees?

It is also not uncommon for a flight to be a connecting flight and due to the negligence of temporary storage warehouse employees, animals do not move to the baggage compartment of the desired aircraft in a timely manner and the pet is forced to wait for the next flight in a state of hunger and stress.
In addition, our colleagues had cases when 2 individuals of different sexes of giraffes were transported, one of which was in a state of pregnancy. One of the giraffes died as a result of unprofessional actions to move the animal in a special container. While the employees of the temporary storage warehouse were solving the issue of documenting the dead animal, a calf was born to a pregnant female. Thus, the puzzle came together for the employees of the temporary storage warehouse: 2 individuals were presented for transportation, 2 arrived, and the weight was adjusted.

Such strange situations happen often and, of course, the transportation of animals is an extremely sensitive business, in which it is important to know all the nuances, from a general awareness of the behavior of breeds of different individuals in unusual stressful situations, to a general analysis of the entire air transportation route for such unusual passengers.