The end of mail order livestock ???

I know that links to other sites are not "usually" allowed,but I feel this is important for all to read. There is a link for you to send in your comments about the proposal.The proposal is that airlines have to account for all livestock shipped and file reports on any dead animal. This would involve opening every livestock shipping container, inspecting the container, and writing up reports on any dead animal (fish are included but I haven't seen anything regarding corals). The above comment was borrowed from a fellow reefer.
The deadline for comments is Dec 27 .
Merry Christmas to you all!
David
p.s.
here is the link to send out your comments
http://www.reefsource.com/CurrentCampaign.htm
 
Sammy,
I don't won't to see all those animals die either!! Trust me on that.Now if they open each and every shipping container to see what is alive and had died,who is going to repack those box and put back the heat or cold packs,and box it back up the right way? Who are they gonna train to know if that trumpet frag is dead or alive? Just because the snails are not "crawling around" does that mean they are all dead? For the time being I do not see this as being the answer to the problems that are facing us right now with the shipping methods that go on.I personally try to buy all tank raised animals and get frags from fellow reefers,I have a 4th generation trumpet frag I just got from a fellow reefer.
David
 

wamp

Active Member
Good point but, there is no correct answer to their questions.
Yes, there should be some sort of regualtios, no the should not inspect every box... No real answer... Kinda sucks.
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
If you read the actual proposal, rather then the hype, you will note that this applies to "scheduled air passenager transportation"...meaning commercial airlines. The intent here is to safeguard transporting pets, such as dogs and cats, which are usually held in unventilated cargo holds with everyone's bags. It could be hotter than hell or freezing cold in these quarters for animals that are terriorized by the situation. Not uncommon for pets to die or become ill following airtravel.
No one in the fish business ships via passenger airlines!
 

wamp

Active Member
Not so fast there beth.... ALot do. I used to ride with a guy who owns a LFS here in town to pick his up out of the belly of a 737...
Said it was cheaper to get things shipped that way rather than Fed-Ex.
 
Beth,
I read that part also,I know companies like fed-ex and ups have their own airplanes to ship over-night and what have you,but I have heard of some live animals being shipped in the cargo area of passenger air lines,like you pointed out with the dogs and cats.Now if they ever put fish or corals in there I am not sure,but here is a direct quote "Opponents say the carriers are going to have to investigate everything -- down to the last dead tropical fish. " I talked to a local lfs owner today about this and he told me that they do ship on commercial passeneger airlines,I do not know that as a fact or not,as I have never gotten anything directly from the airport or air lines.The lfs owner I know for a fact goes to Flordia and handpicks the animals he wants and on some occassions he has told me they fly back here with him, now if he is not being truthful with me I have no idea.Anyway the point of this was to just make you all aware of what is going on.
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
And were you're fish actually cheaper, or did he pocket the savings at the expense of live animals?
Commerical airlines are in the business to transport people and their bags, not animials. You think those guys there care which way is up or down on a box when they are loading or unloading?
Oh well. It would be interesting to hear what people in the business of selling fish have to say.
 

wamp

Active Member
It's cheaper for them... They still charge me an arm and a leg for the stuff. Don't make sense does it?
Thats why I order everything from here. FED-EX seems to take more care with their boxes than passanger airlines do.
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
That site is right to the point, Sammy, and the proposed reguation is targeted to protect the more traditional pets---namely cats and dogs. Cargo holds in passenger airlines are made for bags, not animals. They do not build commercial airlines to transport animals. Why do you think it is cheaper?? Because they are selling whatever extra space they have in their cargo hold. If there is 5 feet of space left in cargo before the hold is filled to the rafters, then why not fill it up with whatever so the airlines can make a few bucks? Fedex is in the "cargo" business and they know if they don't handle the stuff with TLC, then they will be out of some good chunk of business.
Now I doubt that boxed fish and corals can tell the difference between a passenger plane or fedx transport, but I think the "handling" of the cargo makes the difference.
In any case, I vote for some reguation, if for no other reason than to be humane to our 4-pawed friends.
 

ddt

Member
My family, as part of our pet shops used to ship dogs and cats all over the word as part of military transport. Dispite what has been stated earlier, it was extreemly rare for a death to occur in transport. In my recollection the only death I can remember (15 years, thousands of shipments) was due to the owner OD'ing a Pug with tranquilizers before shipment. The cargo holds are presurized and temprature controlled. from what i can read this is an effort to shut down puppy mills, which I don't oppose, but like everything else there are unitended consiquences.
 

azonic

Active Member
Beth, a VERY large number of LFS use airline cargo to ship live animals. That is why they have the cargo service. each airline has different levels of service. For example here in Canada there is regular cargo...which could get bumped...then there is guaranteed cargo which will never get bumped(live animals must be shipped this way.)
The prices in the USA are much cheaper shipping air freight then they are by shipping fedex and much faster....same day service.
I swear by it over fedex or anything similar. At fedex you can get orders lost of left behind of damaged. With air freight you are pretty well guaranteed to get it healthy because of much shorter travel times and they don't just toss the packages into the plane. Everything is placed gently to equal the distribution of the cargo hold.
I would never get anything shipped to me via fedex or ups if it were a live animal.
 
Top