Taoyuan International Airport Services Co (桃園航勤) yesterday apologized for killing more than 1,000 animals because it failed to follow standard operating procedures by leaving the animals in airtight containers in hot weather.
The incident involving three dogs, two cats and 10 boxes of birds was “isolated,” the company said, adding that the personnel who mishandled the animals would be punished.
As of noon yesterday, two dogs remained in critical condition, while all the other animals were pronounced dead of heat exhaustion, the Taoyuan Office of Animal Care and Control said.
Photo: Screengrab by Hsieh Wu-hsiung, Taipei Times
The company, which provides ground service to airlines using Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, has confirmed 1,000 baby lovebirds died as a result of the incident.
The animals were destined for Kuala Lumpur on a China Airlines (CAL, 中華航空) flight, but ground service personnel checked out the animals too early before the plane’s takeoff and left them in a container without ventilation on a parking apron, the office said.
Office secretary Kuan Te-ming said authorities were checking surveillance camera footage to identify the personnel responsible for the incident.
It is also examining evidence to see whether the airline or the airport should also be held responsible, he said.
The animals could have been trapped in an environment of about 60°C, according to the office.
Standard operating procedures specify that live animals should not be transferred to containers more than 30 minutes before takeoff.
When they are transported to the aircraft, standard operating procedures require the use of a dedicated container with a grill on one side to ensure ventilation.
Kuan said the incident, the first in Taiwan’s aviation history, could lead to a fine of between NT$15,000 and NT$75,000 for the personnel who handled the animals.
If the incident is found to have been intentional, the violator could face a one-year prison sentence, it said.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and