dismay in Brazil After news of the death of a dog who spent several hours without eating or drinking locked in a cage, after an error by the airline that transported it.
As stated in the Daily Mailthe owner of the animal, João Fantazzini, had booked the trip for his dog, Joca, a five-year-old golden retriever, on a Gol Airlines flight from Sao Paulo to the Municipal Airport of Sinopa municipality in the state of Mato Grosso.
However, the airline mistakenly took Joca on another flight, lasting three and a half hours in total, to Fortaleza international airportcapital of the state of Ceará.
Joca was given some water while waiting to leave Fortaleza, but he spent about 90 minutes on the track, in the cage and at 36ºC. Then the dog was three and a half hours in the air before landing back in São Paulo.
Fantazzini finally returned to São Paulo after learning of the airline’s mistake and was informed by an airline official that the dog had gotten sick.
The owner claimed Joca was already dead when a manager escorted him to a waiting room. The dog’s death was due to cardiac arrestaccording to the death certificate.
“My love was murdered, my best choice, the love of my life. “You were very young!!,” Fantazzini wrote in an Instagram post accompanied by a series of photographs of him and Joca.
“I remember the day I adopted you and our connection was momentary! My son, forgive me for being selfish by wanting you by my side! You are the love of my life forever! I will miss you daily! I miss giving you your apple every morning, taking you to the pool and taking care of you every day! Thank you for everything my friend! “She added.
Gol acknowledged that an “operational failure” caused the death of the dog. “GOL sympathizes with the suffering of Joca’s guardian and his family. We understand his pain and deeply regret the loss of his pet,” the airline said.
“The company offers everything the necessary support to the owner and his family from the beginning. The investigation into the details of what happened is being carried out with full priority by our team,” they added.
Silvio Costa Silvadirector of the Ministry of Ports and Airports, said the department joined the National Civil Aviation Agency in the investigation.
During a press conference on Wednesday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva He wore a dog-print tie and urged the National Civil Aviation Agency and Gol Airlines not to allow a similar incident to happen again.
“The dog died because he spent eight hours without drinking water, trapped inside the plane,” Lula said. “I think Gol has to be held accountable. “I think the Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency) has to monitor this and I think we cannot allow this to continue happening in Brazil,” he said.
