Care of Pets in Emergencies
In 2024, shocking news has been coming since New Year’s Day.
On New Year’s Day, the 2024 Noto Peninsula big earthquake occurred, and on 2nd Jan, a collision occurred between a JAL flight and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda Airport.
Pets are also allowed on aircraft. However, pets are generally kept in designated areas.
In the recent Haneda Airport accident, it is reported that two pets were on board the JAL aircraft.
Unfortunately, it was reported that these two pets could not be rescued.
This is very sad, but considering the circumstances of the fire, rescuing the pets may have been extremely difficult.
We believe airlines take great care with the temperature conditions in pet storage areas, as they handle aircraft flying at high altitudes (extreme cold).
Even so, as someone who has a pet as a family member, there is no way I would choose air travel for a journey with my pet.
According to a Sankei Shimbun article, there was a voice saying “Pets should be allowed in the passenger cabin, not the cargo hold.”
Regarding the treatment of pets, we are aware there are significant challenges, such as the diversification of pets, people who are not good with animals, and people with animal allergies.
Even so, we are one who believes that if pets are allowed on board, they should be in the passenger cabin.
For reference, we checked whether any airlines in Japan allow pets to be kept in the passenger cabin and found one airline that does.
Of course, since the pet occupies a seat, there is a fee involved. (It seems to be more expensive than for a human passenger.)
However, there is the following statement in the agreement for traveling with pets.
In case of emergency, pets must be left on board when evacuating.
Airlines instruct passengers not to carry luggage during emergencies to prioritize the speed and safety of evacuation routes.
We understand this for lifeless luggage, but Pets are living creatures with feelings.
Some people might get angry and say it’s absurd to treat humans and animals the same.
Furthermore, cases requiring emergency evacuation of aircraft are very rare, and some people might find this service appealing.
What we would like you to consider is that pets become family members with heart to heart connections. And sometimes, they become the very source of strength to live for that family.
Even in an emergency, we simply cannot imagine that we can leave our precious family pet sitting next to us to die.
In other words, we feel the current service’s treatment of pets is half-hearted.
Considering the situation of airlines worldwide, it’s difficult for any single airline to change the circumstances on this issue.
Therefore, though it may be a faint hope, I would like them to consider the following:
(1) Major global airlines should organize a symposium that treats pets as family members.
(2) Major airlines should take the lead in launching boarding services that treat pets the same as humans.
Of course, we can understand that there are unavoidable limitations such as the types and sizes of pets they can handle.
The next issue to consider is the handling of pets during disasters.
Japan is geographically a region where disasters occur very frequently.
However, there are very few evacuation shelters where people can evacuate with their pets when a disaster occurs.
During disasters, caring for pets becomes a challenge because caring for people is very difficult enough.
Furthermore, there are many challenges to consider in this discussion, including the diversity of pets, people who are not comfortable around animals, people with animal allergies, evacuation locations and seasons, and relief supplies.
For these reasons, I believe the discussion about “Evacuating with Pets” cannot easily find a solution.
However, we would like to suggest a discussion that faces reality is needed.
It is also true that discussions about pet mistreatment and their lives have become more active in recent years.
What I want you to understand is that pets are family members who provide comfort and energy to their families.
During times of high stress such as disasters, pets alleviate both mental and physical stress.
Currently, it is estimated that approximately 10% of all households have pets, making it impossible to ignore their presence.
National and local government councillors, please make this on your agenda.
Reference: AIR LIVE(2024/01/04)
https://airlive.net/emergency/2024/01/04/japan-airlines-has-apologized-after-announcing-that-they-were-unable-to-rescue-two-pets-during-the-tokyo-haneda-accident/
Reference: Japan Pet Food Association (2022 – Results of a nationwide survey on dog and cat breeding）
https://petfood.or.jp/pdf/data/2024/3.pdf
Thanks.
2024/01/04 – 2025/12/04