Cloud over tarmac death of pet poodle

The owner of a poodle and many other animal lovers are still waiting for a convincing explanation as to why a pet dog was shot dead in Meilan International Airport in Haikou, Hainan province, having traveled from Beijing in a portable kennel as checked baggage on Monday.

The airport released a statement on its official micro blog at Sina Weibo on Wednesday, saying the dog had escaped the kennel and reached the access road about 100 meters away from the runway. It had to be shot dead owing to security concerns, according to the rules.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hainan Airlines, the carrier, released a statement on its official micro blog, saying the company agreed with the airport's explanation after watching the surveillance video clips.

However, neither provided CCTV footage with the statements released.

According to Yang Xiaobin, the airport's vice-president, the pet dog escaped the kennel and ran all the way from the entrance of the baggage carousel toward the taxiway.

"We chased the dog for 10 minutes but failed to catch it. It's 4:35 pm when the dog ran into the taxiway and flight CZ3120 of China Southern Airlines was scheduled to land a minute later," said Yang. "To ensure air safety, we had no choice but to shoot the dog."

Yang emphasized that the airport was beyond reproach because the decision adhered to the emergency preparatory scheme on animal invasion in the airport's manual.

Ni Bin, 52, the dog's owner, said she asked for the surveillance video clips immediately after the incident, but was refused.

Ni's daughter said they were shown a 15-second video clip taken in the storehouse, in which the poodle was running and the staffers gave chase on Wednesday. She said she was told that there was no surveillance outside the storehouse on the road.

Ni found it hard to believe that a dog weighing 2 kilogram could break out of a solid flight case. "Even if my dog really dashed out of the case, the door would be pushed outwards. But we found that the door was opened inwards and the straps remained unbroken," said Ni.

She suspected that someone from the airport's staff was trying to steal the dog.

A person surnamed Chen, who works at Shun Jie Tong Air Freight Agent in Beijing, said: "From the pictures the owner's daughter published on her micro blog, it's very likely that the bolts were broken because of rough handling by the airport's staff."

Neither does Ni believe that her dog was shot dead from a long distance. "There was blood all over its head. It seemed as if someone had beaten it to death."

A staffer with the public relations department of Hainan Airlines who did not want to give his name said publishing the surveillance video clips was a necessity now.

But he added that the owner had signed an agreement with the company "which exempts Hainan Airlines from any responsibility in the event of an injury or death of the pet".

However, lawyer Zhang Qihuai says such agreements may not be legally binding.

"Disclaimers trying to exempt one party from its obligations could go against Contract Law," said Zhang.

In Zhang's opinion, Meilan International Airport and the carrier, Hainan Airlines, ought to take responsibility for the pet dog's death.

Meilan International Airport Vice-President Yang admitted that the staff should have been trained to do a better job of catching escaped pets.

Besides, "we should have given the owner a clear explanation promptly, instead of making her wait for two days," he added.