As if bad news for United Airlines is bad enough, now Simon the giant bunny is reported to have died in transport.
Simon’s death is the latest controversy in several weeks of incredibly bad public relations for United Airlines starting when a passenger was forcibly ejected from an overbooked flight resulting in substantial injuries, a lawsuit as well as an international public relations disaster as the story went viral in the news.
Dr Dao, a 69-year-old from Kentucky, was seen with a bloodied face after being forcibly taken off the plane by Chicago airport officers who had been summoned by United employees when he would not give up his seat.
Another lawsuit was filed this week against United Airlines as a 2016 first class passenger decided to file suit regarding her experience having to depart an overbooked United Airlines first-class flight.
Now a rare ten month old 4 foot bunny Simon expected to become the world’s largest bunny dies in a holding area in Chicago.
The circumstances over the rare bunny death is under investigation.
Had he lived Simon was expected to outgrow the world’s biggest rabbit – his 4ft 4in father Darius.
Annette Edwards, Simon’s devastated owner from Stoulton in Worcester claims he died in the cargo hold of United Airlines flight from Heathrow Airport to Chicago on April 19.
A United States buyer spent $2000 to have his transported from London. When he went to collect Simon he was told that Simon passed away.
Simon was a stunning boy with black fur and blue eyes.
According to his owner Annette Edwards, ‘I took him for a full health check at the vets on the day of his flight on the 19th of April. He went for his health check at around 6:15pm he left me around quarter past nine.
‘He looked so happy at the vets, hopping about everywhere. He had his temperature taken, heart checked and a thorough going over which was all fine.
‘He went from Heathrow to Canton and when he landed at Chicago he was checked and alright he was absolutely fine apparently he was left in a room for when they’ve got another flight to go.
‘He was checked a couple of times and was alright but when they checked him for the next flight they found him dead.’
Before all the blame on United Airlines, let’s look at some statistics regarding pet airline fatalities and rabbit conditions that might make them a poor candidate and high risk candidate for air travel in the first place.
According to the Annual Bloomberg Report on the Pet Fatalities and Injuries reported on airlines in 2014 United Airlines rates the highest with 5 deaths and 13 injuries to animals travelling in cargo with causes ranging from escapes leading to collisions with motor vehicles to stress or medical related incidents.
Bunnies are at a much higher risk for stress related death.
Besides a high sensitivity to temperature changes, delicate and easily broken bones, rabbits are easily stressed which can sometimes result in shock and death. It is possible for a rabbit to die of fright. Loud sounds, such as cats, dogs, loud music, or screaming can lead to a heart attack and put a rabbit into shock, causing sudden death.
It was most likely a foolish decision to try to transport a rabbit in cargo transport on any plane but for now United Airlines pays the price in bad publicity. The amount that Annette Edwards was selling Simon the rabbit was most likely substantial if the buyer was paying $2000 for the transport alone.
Was greed was a factor in putting an animal that is highly susceptible to stress like a rabbit on a commercial airline in cargo in the first place?
Should airlines have policies that do not allow rabbits to be transported in airline cargo in the first place?
Should Annette Edwards a rabbit breeder that has fashioned herself and spent thousands on plastic surgery to look like Jessica Rabbit, the film character from Who Killed Roger Rabbit?
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