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Jul 24, 2006 10:45 pm US/Central
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Over 9,000 Turkey Chicks Die On NWA Flight
San Francisco, Calif. (AP) ―
About 9,300 turkey chicks died while being shipped via Northwest Airlines from a breeder in Canada to a Fresno farm, according to the Peninsula Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Six days later, about 2,000 more chicks died on another flight, said spokesman Scott Delucchi.
The agency is investigating two incidents at San Francisco International Airport, Delucchi said.
About 9,300 chicks died July 13 after 144 boxes, each containing 80 birds were shipped on one flight rather than two, as the breeder, Canada-based Hybrid Turkeys had requested, Delucchi said, adding he believes the birds suffocated.
Northwest said its cargo division is committed to the safe handling of animals and is concerned when incidents occur. The airline said in a statement that the shipment of chicks from Detroit to San Francisco was not handled properly and chicks died due to extremely hot weather.
About 2,000 more chicks, likely replacements for the first batch, died July 19 after a flight was delayed in Las Vegas and the birds sat for several hours in 108-degree weather, Delucchi said.
Northwest said the second shipment of chicks was transported by other carriers that delivered the chicks, many of them dead, to Northwest.
Delucchi said an investigator saw boxes of turkey chicks in an airport trash compactor.
"In both cases, Northwest disposed of the expired chicks properly after consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture," the airline said.
The birds were bound for Zacky Farms in Fresno.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)