NW cargo succumbs to "fowl" play...

PurduePete

Senior
Jun 15, 2006
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A sad story for all of the animal lovers out there...

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...la/15099266.htm

Turkey deaths prompt query
THOUSANDS OF CHICKS EXPIRE ON PLANE TRIPS
By HongDao Nguyen
Mercury News
Peninsula Humane Society officials are fuming after thousands of turkey chicks died on several recent flights to San Francisco International Airport.

In one case, according to the humane society, more than 9,000 of the birds were crammed onto a Northwest Airlines flight, on which they died from suffocation, overheating and dehydration.

The society intends to press for animal cruelty charges against Northwest, said shelter spokesman Scott Delucchi.

The society also is investigating Air Canada, which transported more chicks to San Francisco less than a week later; more than 2,000 of those birds died, Delucchi said. And the group is looking into the culpability of Fresno-based Zacky Farms, which sells processed turkey and which was the final destination for the chicks.

Northwest officials had no comment Friday.

``We are unfamiliar with the group's concerns at this point,'' said spokesman Tracy Carlson. ``And we haven't had adequate time to research their particular charges.''

The controversy started this month after Hybrid Turkeys, a commercial breeder in Canada, shipped 11,520 turkey chicks on Northwest from Detroit. The chicks, a few weeks old, were to be picked up at the San Francisco airport by Zacky Farms.

Hybrid had instructed Northwest to divide the birds between two flights to California, Delucchi said.

Instead, he said, Northwest stuffed all 144 boxes of fowl onto one 4 1/2-hour flight.

``It's putting double the cargo, and animals competing for the same air,'' Delucchi said.

Nearly 2,000 chicks made it to Fresno, but a day later, Northwest called the society to pick up 168 others that had been left at the airport. All but 40 of them died.

Delucchi said the problem didn't stop there.

Less than a week later, Hybrid shipped 9,360 chicks to San Francisco, this time via three Air Canada flights. When one of the planes malfunctioned and made a pit stop in Las Vegas, the chicks were unloaded in 108-degree heat. The humane society says they sweltered for hours before being loaded onto an America West flight to San Francisco.

``We have to figure out who did that,'' Delucchi said. ``Who made that decision to put animals where they're exposed?''

Though most of the Air Canada shipments made it to Fresno, 2,240 dying or dead chicks were left at the San Francisco airport. Delucchi said Northwest, which handles Air Canada's baggage, tossed nearly all of them in the trash compactor.

``We're not happy with anyone here,'' Delucchi said. Officials at Zacky Farms and at Hybrid Turkeys could not be reached for comment Friday.

According to the humane society, Hybrid filed a $102,263 claim against Northwest for mortality and freight charges. The society also might ask the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office to consider filing cruelty charges, if necropsies rule out disease.

As for the few dozen chicks the shelter has under its wing, those will most likely be farmed out to the community for adoption, Delucchi said.



Be sure to expect more of this type of stuff happening after NW contracts out most of its ground handling operations system-wide. :down:
 
A sad story for all of the animal lovers out there...

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...la/15099266.htm

Turkey deaths prompt query
THOUSANDS OF CHICKS EXPIRE ON PLANE TRIPS
By HongDao Nguyen
Mercury News
Peninsula Humane Society officials are fuming after thousands of turkey chicks died on several recent flights to San Francisco International Airport.

In one case, according to the humane society, more than 9,000 of the birds were crammed onto a Northwest Airlines flight, on which they died from suffocation, overheating and dehydration.

The society intends to press for animal cruelty charges against Northwest, said shelter spokesman Scott Delucchi.

The society also is investigating Air Canada, which transported more chicks to San Francisco less than a week later; more than 2,000 of those birds died, Delucchi said. And the group is looking into the culpability of Fresno-based Zacky Farms, which sells processed turkey and which was the final destination for the chicks.

Northwest officials had no comment Friday.

``We are unfamiliar with the group's concerns at this point,'' said spokesman Tracy Carlson. ``And we haven't had adequate time to research their particular charges.''

The controversy started this month after Hybrid Turkeys, a commercial breeder in Canada, shipped 11,520 turkey chicks on Northwest from Detroit. The chicks, a few weeks old, were to be picked up at the San Francisco airport by Zacky Farms.

Hybrid had instructed Northwest to divide the birds between two flights to California, Delucchi said.

Instead, he said, Northwest stuffed all 144 boxes of fowl onto one 4 1/2-hour flight.

``It's putting double the cargo, and animals competing for the same air,'' Delucchi said.

Nearly 2,000 chicks made it to Fresno, but a day later, Northwest called the society to pick up 168 others that had been left at the airport. All but 40 of them died.

Delucchi said the problem didn't stop there.

Less than a week later, Hybrid shipped 9,360 chicks to San Francisco, this time via three Air Canada flights. When one of the planes malfunctioned and made a pit stop in Las Vegas, the chicks were unloaded in 108-degree heat. The humane society says they sweltered for hours before being loaded onto an America West flight to San Francisco.

``We have to figure out who did that,'' Delucchi said. ``Who made that decision to put animals where they're exposed?''

Though most of the Air Canada shipments made it to Fresno, 2,240 dying or dead chicks were left at the San Francisco airport. Delucchi said Northwest, which handles Air Canada's baggage, tossed nearly all of them in the trash compactor.

``We're not happy with anyone here,'' Delucchi said. Officials at Zacky Farms and at Hybrid Turkeys could not be reached for comment Friday.

According to the humane society, Hybrid filed a $102,263 claim against Northwest for mortality and freight charges. The society also might ask the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office to consider filing cruelty charges, if necropsies rule out disease.

As for the few dozen chicks the shelter has under its wing, those will most likely be farmed out to the community for adoption, Delucchi said.

Be sure to expect more of this type of stuff happening after NW contracts out most of its ground handling operations system-wide. :down:
You can count on it again! Murphys law is #1 at ScabAir. I've seen dogs unloaded at the aft cargo of a Dc-9, still in their kennel, waiting for a pickup to the terminal in a baggage cart. Mean while, the APU is running, the dog is still waiting, and waiting, and waiting. The APU sound is over 120db. Think how much more sensative a dogs hearing is - and they don't make ear plugs for dogs!