This Is How Many Animals Died on Airlines Last Year
The Department of Transportation has released its annual list of U.S. animal fatalities on airlines
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Oriole, a black-and-white guinea pig from North Carolina, never made it to Portland, Ore., with his owner. Oriole succumbed to pneumonia last June during his connection in Atlanta for a Delta flight. A necropsy (PDF) performed by veterinarians at the University of Georgia found that inflammation in the rodent’s lungs “played a contributory role in his death.”
Oriole was not alone. U.S. airlines reported 17 animal fatalities and 26 injuries in 2014, according to full-year data released on Tuesday by the Department of Transportation. The agency compiles an extensive array of airline operating data such as flight delays, customer complaints, mishandled luggage, and animal deaths/injuries each month in its Consumer Air Travel Report.