Three sloths freeze to death at Belgian airport, sparking investigation

Wallonia authorities have launched an investigation into the death of three sloths during a stopover at Liège airport, after the cargo jet on which they were being taken to Malaysia was caught in a blizzard.

Nicolas Yernaux, spokesman for the Wallonia Public Service, said “the plane had to transit for two hours to refuel, but was not able to take off due to weather conditions” and was stuck in Liège for 24 hours on 21 January. Was.

“For a reason that has not yet been determined and is part of the investigation we are carrying out, the heating in the aircraft was turned off or turned off”, he said.

By the time Swissport – one of the world’s largest airport service companies in charge of transporting the sloths – alerted the Belgian authorities, three of the nine sloths on the plane had died.

Qatar Airways Cargo, which operated the flight, confirmed the deaths of three people and expressed its regret. “Qatar Airways Cargo unconditionally apologizes for this loss, which is currently being fully investigated,” a Qatar Airways spokesperson told POLITICO.

Contrary to many previous reports Belgian storesThe Wallonian spokesman said the animals in question were two-toed sloths, not sloth bears.

According to Belgian officials, the six remaining sloths were examined by veterinarians, placed in a warm room and sterilized.

Once the sloth’s condition had improved, veterinarians “assessed whether the best [thing] It was for them to reach their final destination, Kuala Lumpur, as quickly as possible,” said the Wallonian spokesman.

‘Horrible circumstances’

Of the six extant species of sloth, only a couple According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are two toes, and neither of them is currently in danger of extinction.

However the transport of wild animals within the EU has to comply with the bloc’s rules – including strict requirements for protected species – there is little observation For exports to non-European countries, and national agencies of member states do not inspect aircraft in transit.

Several airlines, including the freighter company Qatar Airways, have committed to the following set In accordance with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) regulations regarding the transport of wild animals, which aim to “improve animal welfare and safety through appropriate quality and risk management”. IATA,

“We transport thousands of animals each year without incident and we are deeply concerned by this tragic loss,” said a Qatar Airways spokesperson.

But according to Nicholas Clarke from the pan-European animal advocacy group Eurogroup for animalsWild animals are transported around the world “under appalling, poorly regulated conditions to life in captivity”.

“To end these heartbreaking stories, we need to better regulate the wildlife trade,” said Clarke, who heads her organisation’s wildlife programme.

Swissport said in a statement: “We are aware of the incident, but do not have insight into the details of what happened as no handling by Swissport was required.”

This article has been updated.