Dog Joca died after air transport failure by GolReproduction/Instagram
Published 03/05/2024 21:27
Motivated by the death of the dog Joca, on the 22nd, during a flight carried out by Gollog, the cargo transport company of the airline Gol, two senators presented, this week, bills that aim to regulate the transport of pets in Brazil . The proposal is to create a federal law that establishes minimum conditions and criteria for animals to be transported safely.
The proposal authored by senator Randolfe Rodrigues (No party-AP), presented on the 29th, determines that public transport companies, whether air, land or water, provide mechanisms that guarantee thermal comfort, food, water and locks for boxes of animals traveling outside the passenger cabin.
Furthermore, the text makes it mandatory to implement a digital and remote system for locating and checking the animal’s vital signs and hiring a veterinarian capable of adapting the company’s procedures and training the teams responsible for this type of transport. . Regarding the boxes used on trips, they must allow the animals to move in circles.
The text also points out that guide dogs must be authorized to travel in the passenger cabin “to accompany people with disabilities in any circumstances”, with the carrier being responsible for making the necessary adjustments to maintain the comfort of both the animals and other travelers.
According to the parliamentarian, it is necessary to avoid, through “stricter and more effective” regulations, inadequate transport that can lead to injuries, losses and even deaths of animals. Citing the operational failure that caused Joca to board the wrong flight, Rodrigues states that the proposal is an advance “in the ethical and respectful treatment of these beings” and meets society’s desires.
Regarding Joca, Gol reported that “it is offering all the necessary support to the tutor and his family from the outset.” “The investigation of the details of what happened is being carried out with full priority by our team”, informed the company.
The text was assigned to the Senate’s Environment and Infrastructure committees and is being processed on a final basis, that is, if approved, it goes directly to the Chamber of Deputies, without the need for analysis by the Plenary.
The project by Eduardo Gomes (PL-TO), submitted on the 30th and still awaiting dispatch to the committees, concerns only the domestic and international air transport of animals.
However, it provides more liberal definitions by proposing that animals weighing up to 50 kilos can travel in the passenger cabin, without the need for a carrier, on the aircraft floor or on the owner’s lap.
The requirements for this type of transport are that the animal “does not bother other passengers”, is up to date with vaccinations, has a health certificate, wears a collar or muzzle and remains with the person responsible for the entire trip.
The airline is guaranteed the right to deny boarding “if aggressive or risky behavior is found” of the animal and to charge a specific fee for transportation.
Justifying the proposal, Gomes states that the lack of national legislation on the subject means that “standards of care and the conditions in which animals are transported” vary between companies and even between flights of the same company. Therefore, according to the parliamentarian, the implementation of specific rules with the participation of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) can reduce the animals’ stress and discomfort, ensuring an adequate trip.
Archived projects
Although new proposals are beginning to be processed, the history of Congress reveals that other projects on the same topic have been shelved in recent years, both in the Chamber and in the Senate
As shown by Estadão, up to four days after Joca’s death, five deputies presented projects regulating the transport of pets. However, there are texts from 2020 and 2022 that have stopped being processed.
In the Senate, a proposal from 2003 and another from 2018 were also shelved. Although the first of them, by the then senator João Ribeiro (TO), sought to prevent the air and land transport of animals in the cabin intended for passengers, the lack of a national law on this issue was already cited by parliamentarians.
The second project, presented to the Chamber in 2015 by the then federal deputy Rodrigo Maia (PSDB-RJ) and received by the Senate three years later, sought to ensure the right to transport domestic animals on interstate and intercity lines by land, air or water, but was archived in 2022.
The text established safety, hygiene and comfort standards for the transport of animals and was motivated by the case of the dog Mel, who left São Paulo towards Salvador and ended up being lost by TAM. At the time, the owner reported that an employee had offered another dog to replace the lost animal.
