Obligations regarding the living conditions of live animals. When transporting live animals on U6 flights, the airline’s objective is to ensure good living conditions. In establishing standards, U6 follows IATA recommendations and takes into account the specific characteristics of each animal.

Feeding Animals

The consignor / operator (GHA) must respectfully observe the following requirements and animal needs:

  1. always have a Feeding Instruction available / comply with the instruction (watering the animal is more important than feeding it); any feeding of the animal must be recorded in the Instruction attached to the container;
  2. food supplied by the consignor must be attached to the container;
  3. under no circumstances give the animal unidentified / unknown / unsuitable food — improper feeding may harm the animal;
  4. an animal with a high metabolism must be thoroughly fed and watered before loading onto the aircraft;
  5. if the animal is on a diet, the diet should be discontinued for the duration of transport

Minimizing the Impact of Negative Factors and Stress

Stress during the entire transport may cause the death of the animal or harm its health. Therefore, the following actions must be avoided or minimized:

  1. movement of the container — actions that may cause unnecessary disturbance to the animal;
  2. inadequate ventilation (high CO₂ concentration) or drafts;
  3. temperature fluctuations (hypothermia / overheating) or high humidity. On cool or hot / tropical days, Category 4 animals that are highly sensitive to temperature changes and drafts, such as reptiles, exotic animals, and thick-skinned mammals, must be given special care and attention;
  4. inadequate lighting / darkness in the cargo compartment;
  5. engine noise;
  6. depriving the animal of food / water for a long period;
  7. placing “incompatible animals” together (a male and a female during mating season);
  8. use of sedatives*.

Sedatives

The use of sedatives carries certain risks and may be applied only by a qualified veterinarian after approval by the consignor. The use of sedatives must be reported to the operator (GHA) and recorded in the HI column of the air waybill and in the Feeding Instruction. If the animal’s condition worsens after sedative use, transport may be cancelled.

When accepting cargo for transport, take into account the following:

  1. different climatic conditions (temperature / humidity) at the warehouse, at the departure and arrival airports (high humidity adds a negative effect to high temperature);
  2. climatic conditions in the aircraft cargo compartments:
    • climatic conditions at the time of loading;
    • technical characteristics of the aircraft;
    • the type of cargo carried in the cargo compartments, the number, species and sizes of the animals.

The optimal temperature for most animals is +20–24°C. Reptiles require an increased temperature of +27–29°C.

Below are recommendations by animal type regarding preferred temperatures.

       Animal type        Min. temperature (°C)          * Max. temperature (°C) 
     Cats      7      24
     Dogs      10      27/ 19
     Rabbits      10      21
     Guinea pigs      7      27
     Hamsters      10      29
     Mice      13      32
     Chicks      0      21
     Ducks / geese      10      29
     Turkeys      5      19
     Day-old chicks /
     10-day-old chicks
     14 (28)      23 (37)/ 29   
      Parrots        18       32
      Reptiles       21       35
      ** primates / ** young primates       21/27       32/29
      Chimpanzees       18       35
      Feline family (jungle)       18       29
* maximum time animals may remain at maximum temperature is 2 hours (at 50% humidity). For reptiles − 38°C, most animals − 35°C, thick-skinned − 29°C. ** non-human primates only

Emergencies

In the event of emergencies at the airports of U6 departures, there must be an Emergency Action Plan that includes actions for handling live animals, describing in detail the procedures of veterinary and sanitary requirements of the state, as well as security requirements, establishing procedures that allow the consequences of incidents involving live animals to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Authorized airline agents must also establish and implement procedures for live animals in an unsatisfactory condition.

Unsatisfactory health condition of an animal

Transporting an animal in an unsatisfactory health condition is prohibited and must be postponed until the animal recovers or begins to feel better.

If the situation permits, the responsible U6 person (GHA), together with a veterinarian, should take the following measures:

  1. provide medical assistance to the injured and/or sick animal and immediately isolate it in a separate container away from other animals;
  2. remove a dead animal from the container and dispose of the body according to instructions; immediately report the death to the local veterinary authority;
  3. humanely destroy (euthanize) the animal (and dispose of it) if the animal is in very poor condition;
  4. be sure to coordinate the matter with the local veterinary authority and the consignor.

Incidents involving live animals

An incident is considered to be the following:

  1. death of an animal during transport / handling regardless of numbers;
  2. attack / bite of an animal on a person causing injury;
  3. escape of an animal from a container during flight, at the airport, or in the warehouse.

In case of an incident, the responsible person with the required qualification (GHA) must, as soon as possible, prepare an Incident Report and submit it to the competent authorities.

Note. In any of the above situations, the GHA must contact the consignor and request additional instructions, and also notify all services concerned with the incident.

Koltsovo Airport

Special instructions for animal care, taking into account its behavior, and emergency procedures are described in the Emergency Action Plan in Chapter C 2.