I just talked to Linda and she just got word that 3 of the rescues that were shipped today arrived dead and a 4th is at the vet barely hanging on. A total of 16 rescues were shipped today, all left happy and alive.

The reciever just contacted Linda.. when she opened the crate all the pouches were damp to the touch and in a certain pouch, Cage 1, the 2 females were dead and the male was wet and cold. He's at the vet now..

Has anyone ever had anything like this happen? If you can give any insight please contact me and I will send you Linda's cell phone number.

I am so sorry to hear that. I hope they get to the bottom of it, bad weather, left on the ramp, I don't know what could have happened but what a shame. I hope the rest are OK, please keep us updated.

Everybody else seems to be okay. The male was given an injection of something to perk him up, SubQ fluids, and he is on oxygen. They should know within 15-20 minutes if his condition is going to get better.

The females that were in the pouch with him were also wet, he was very cold and wet.

They believe that the crate got wet, as ALL of the pouches were damp and the fleece under them too. Wet and chilled..

Linda called the airline and asked about weather, she was told that there were delays in Houston due to rain.. and once she told them that there were dead animals, she was told there was no rain in Houston...

I just know we have a crying shipper, an upset receiver, and a devastated 10 year old who claimed cage 1 as hers.

OMG! I'm so sorry. I hope the others are found to be happy and healthy!
You would think that the airlines would be more careful with LIVE shipments! :-(

OMG, how sad!! sounds like someone messed up big time with the airlines and left them outside somewhere!! I feel so sorry for everyone involved - how devastating! Please keep us posted!

This kind of sounds like what happened to CGarnes last year on the way to Bourbon's... I'm not sure, but I think it is caused by the gliders steaming up the pouch. When fleece is wet/damp it doesn't breath well. The air gets trapped inside the pouch and no new air is getting in, so they suffocate Poor Linda, she tried so hard to help those rescues... And to have this happen, she must be heart broken.

OMG! Oh no... how horrible! I can't believe that this could happen!

This especially hits me close to home.. my babies are with that shipment! Tracy, Linda, Im so sorry for what youre going through right now...

Bulldogger, i thought cage one had two females and one male, so if 3 arrived dead, from which cage is that?

The little boy didn't make it.

Tracy called the airline and she was told that YES, there was rain, and that they sat on the turf (turft?? something like that) for over an hour...

There is nothing that can be done until tomorrow until a supervisor is in.

In loving memory of Cage 1 : http://sugarglider.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/284966/page/11#Post284966

And to the female who was lost, they were both sweet, sweet girls who had hard lives. I had them here for 2 weeks.. trying to help Linda with cage space, since there were 5 fighting intact males in with 2 females.

Linda just told me they lost the male

Thats so ridiculous! How could an airline be so incompitant?!

I hope Linda can get some answers on this..

Im supposed to be picking up CarrieT's gliders, as well as mine tomorrow from tracys... I wonder if shes still in kansas city where she picked them up?

When I had Addison shipped to me from Ohio, she was left sitting on the tarmac in HOUSTON during a severe storm that had all the planes grounded. There was my glider, two dogs and a cat. All 4 pet crates were soaked. When I got her out to the van, I had to get her out of that wet carrier and soaked pouch (Addison was in a pouch, inside a KritterKeeper, inside a cat travel crate). Addison got loose from me (she was really freaked out) and went up into my dash board.

Anyway, when I pitched a fit when I picked her up about her being wet, they tried to tell me that the animals were NOT left in the rain. Sorry but there is no way that much water could have gotten into that Kritter Keeper unless she WAS left in the rain.

Linda, this is NOT YOUR FAULT AT ALL.

Oh, how horrible. My eyes weep for those lost, and my heart sends love to those who are still here. That poor 10 year old, please let the little one know that we are thinking of her.

Which airline is it?

OMG! I'm so sorry! I can barely read this. Sorry, too upset right now.

Dancing had a problem with the Houston airport last year too, her glider was alive, but cold and very wet, not as in normal shiping, as sitting out in the rain for hours wet. I am sure she'll be here tomorrow and will see this. sounds like there are some real problems in Houston.

I am sorry for the loss of cage 1.

I'm so sorry Linda!

sending you all love and hugs.

I am so sorry!

I'm so sorry for the 10yr old!! please let her know we send her lots of hugs and good thoughts.

Now that I look at the pictures I rememeber them. They where the ones that stole my heart too. Almost had me trying for them. They just looked so sweet. Poor things.

Sending lots of Huggs your way. Sorry for the loss of these babies..... Do we know what Airline Co. they used?

Anita

not sure what one they used but I had a small glitch myself yesterday with Continental but they were delayed 2 hours in Portland before ever getting to Huston. Weather related but they got there safe. I know this easily could have been my babies.

Linda you may have lost one set but you have done great for the ones who made it.

Continental airlines were used.

I have spoken to Linda and we are working on a safer solution to use with shipping gliders. Something that will prevent them from getting wet even if they are left out in the rain (like Continental seems to do). I will definately post when we have the details worked out.

This is a horrible thing to have happened. The blame can only lie with those in Houston who failed to take proper care of these animals.

Just as Laura has made Jorn's death count for some good (the Jorn Act), we are going to do the same for these three babies. We are going to find solutions to this issue to try to prevent this from ever happening again.

Tracy, please tell Danielle how sorry I am. I know how much she was looking forward to these babies.

There are actually 4 gliders dead, 3 females were found dead when they arrived, and the 4th, the cage 1 male, died at the emergency vet.
 
All of cage 1 has passed.. and a female from cage 13..

So.. 16 gliders were shipped, and 12 made it alive.

Maybe we should look into different fabrics for shipping pouches, like wool (which stays warm and breathable, even when wet)... Also, maybe drilling holes in the bottom of shipping crates will allow for drainage...

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of cage 1 and the poor little male that didnt make it at the vets. I hope that their are things that can be done to prevent this sort of thing happening. I hope the airline will step up and take accountability for what happened. That is a tragedy that could have been prevented.

I am so sorry for the loss of these gliders, my heart goes out to tracies little girl,

there is actually nothing the airline can do since they are considered personal property., but as I told linda, he anger needs to be directed to the one person that left them on the tarmac, and the airlines for not following procedure, hopefully by causing enough stink, the procedures will be followed more closely, especially in increment weather. Dancing has some good ideas, we just hope they can be worked through, to protect the babies against the incompetent.

Hi All, I am now home with the 12 surviving gliders.

Everyone is out of their travel cage and into bigger cages for the night. They seem to be doing well. They are eating their BML (they had diced fruit and fresh water on the car ride here) and checking out their cages. I have the name of a person to call with Continental in the morning. I don't know how much good it will do, but both Linda and I are going to push this issue as hard as we can. This was a tragedy that should not have occured.

Danielle is upset over the loss of the group from cage 1 that she had named PopRocks, Twizzlers and Starburst but she is strong in knowing that we had everything we could done to save PopRocks and that he passed knowing that we cared.

I will post again tomorrow after I talk to Continental and let you know what they say.

http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/animals/default.aspx

They do make a point that all weather conditions are monitored at all points.

Tracy,
I'm here in Missouri, if you need me just let me know! I am soo sorry for your loss
Oh Pm'ing you my cell number