HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1972-10-12, Page 9fi
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1972
International Scene
ANIMALS GO
We have all read about
humans being carted about on
airlines as if they were animals
but what few people know is
that animals, when they are
transported by air, are handled
with a care that would be the
envy of most human passengers.
Just as humans, animals
have adjusted in different ways
to air travel and ever since
1910 when the first animals
were carried in an airplane, a
continuous effort has been
made to render the flight more
comfortable.
The first paying customer,
a young bull, whose name some•
how escapes me, was not too
impressed with the method used
to transport him from Amster-
dam to Paris and he spent the
entire trip throwing his weight
around. Both he and the pilot
were completely relieved when
the journey ended safely. Hist-
ory does not record what the
bull said when he left the plane
and history prefers not to record
what the pilot said.
However, in spite of the
lack of co-operation of the bull,
the advantages of flying anim-
als from one country to another
soon became apparent. The
travelling time was reduced
from weeks to hours. The anim-
als required less special treat-
ment and feeding en route and
they arrived in better condition.
Race horse owners, for example,
soon discovered that they could
compete all over the world by
air freighting their animals.
Horses that cross the Atlantic
by boat need about six weeks
between landing and their first
race while, if they are flown,
the horses can run two days
after they arrive . As a matter
of fact, they demand almost
the same treatment as humans.
They like to face the direction
of flight and be distracted dur-
ing long trips be being fed at
frequent intervals. A sudden
change of motor pitch can
make them nervous as any
human.
By trial and error, airline
animal handlers have come up
with the following tidbits of
information. Cows, unlike
horses, are perfectly happy
flying sideways. A chicken
placed in an elephants cage is
the surest way to soothe the
great pachyderm. The bird's
clucking and scratching around
in the straw for grain has a
hypnotic effect on the beast and
the chicken is never harmed.
Most birds won't eat in the
dark and if they travel in pass-
enger plane cargo holds, special
lights must be rigged up.
Finally, there is only one an-
imal, the airlines claim, that
cannot be transported by air-
craft and that is a giraffe. I
think you can understand why.
Inevitably there is a bit of
humour involved in flying anim-
als. One pilot was transporting
three lions from Germany to
England. During the trip he
Woodstock girl
wins tractor
On Saturday evening, Octob-
er 7, the National Farmers'
Union, District 5, held a dance
in the Sebringville Community
Centre.
The big event of the evening
was the ticket draw for the
David Brown Tractor. The
lucky winner was; Miss Nancy
Frie, 271 Briar 1 -Till, Woodstock,
Ontario. Ticket No. 1946.
AIRMAIL
felt something warm on his leg
and he looked down to see one
of the lion passengers licking
at his ankle. Two more were
trying to crowd through the
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
narrow door from the main cab-
in. He called Brussels airport
urgently requesting permission
to land. Back came the light-
hearted Esso-ish answer: "put
the lions in the tank."
Needless to say it proved to
be an easier job to entice the
lions back into their cages than
into the tank,
About People
Mrs, M. McKinnon, Ray,
McKinnon and Miss Elaine
McKinnon, spent the holiday
weekend in Mattheson and
Levack.
Mr. and Mrs. George Haggitt
attended the marriage of Mrs.
Haggitt's sister in Toronto, on
Saturday.
PAGE 9
Mr, and Mrs. Bill Bedour and
Mr, and Mrs. Glenna Thiel
spent the holiday weekend in
Michigan.
Mr. and Mrs. Russell Klopp
and family, of Downsview,
and Mr. and Mrs. Ron Klopp,
of Keswick, were holiday visit-
ors with their parents Mr. and
Mrs. Howard Klopp and Richard.
HAS BEEN GOOD
FOR THE
CONSTITUENCY OF HURON
*HE HAS BEEN AVAILABLE TO ASSIST
WITH CONSTITUENCY PROBLEMS
*HE HAS TAKEN AN ACTIVE PART IN
THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
PROCEEDINGS