Air travel can be stressful in the modern era, with all the airport procedures and long queues at check-in and immigration if it’s an international flight. Traveling with pets can add to the stress. A few days ago, a dog caused a stir at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) when it escaped during the unloading process. Thankfully, after an intense search, it has now been reunited with its owner.
Dog reunited with owner
More than a week back, a female dog traveling in a carrier cage from Vienna to Paris slipped out during the unloading process. Naturally, a curious critter on the loose caused a stir at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, with airport personnel frantically looking for it.
The owner was also traveling on the same flight but had to wait more than a week (nine days, to be precise) to be reunited with the dog, named Amalka. Posters of the dog were put up at Paris Airport to help the team looking for the dog.
Naturally, this affected the traveling plans of the pet owner, who was accommodated at a hotel in Paris while the search went on. And after a wait of more than a week, the pet was finally reunited with her owner. CBS News cites AFP to quote Air France as saying,
“After several days of intense searches, we are delighted to confirm that Amalka has been found and returned to her owner.
“Both will be able to travel to their final destination soon.”
Intense search operation
An animal on the loose can impact operations at any airport. There’s always a danger of it finding its way to an active runway and potentially causing a mishap. It’s also not safe for any animal to be wandering about unaccompanied near parked aircraft.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
When news of the dog’s escape broke, Charles de Gaulle Airport immediately took action and closed two runways. Drones were deployed to track the whereabouts of the animal and airport officials also strategically chose the early afternoon shift to carry out the operation, as that’s considered a non-peak time period for airport operations.
It wasn’t easy catching the dog, who was playing hide and seek with the officials. Amalka was spotted several times by airport employees but managed to slip away many times. Finally, she was captured and handed over to her owner, and photos of the two being reunited are doing the rounds on social media.
Traveling with pets
Passengers traveling with pets is increasingly becoming common these days. However, not all airlines have a pets-on-board policy and those that do have their own rules that need to be followed. Airline employees have to follow strict protocols to ensure that pets arrive safely at their destinations.
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Always check the rules and regulations of the international destination for traveling with pets before booking your ticket.
Earlier this year, a French Bulldog died on an Alaska Airlines flight from New York City to San Francisco after it apparently became stressed out. Thankfully, instances like this or the latest one in Paris are uncommon, and animals are almost always transported safely on flights these days.
