Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Blind and deaf guinea pig battles bureaucracy to fly from Oz to Vancouver
Blind and deaf guinea pig battles bureaucracy to fly from Oz to Vancouver
The issue is with what my guinea pig needs to survive approximately 17 hours in her crate during transport. Guinea pigs have a digestive system similar to rabbits - they need to eat frequently and because of this, are not required to have food withheld before surgery like other animals. Some guinea pigs, like mine, do not drink water at all, but receive all their water from fresh vegetables and grass.
Australian Civil Aviation Authority rules restrict the carriage of animals in the cabin of commercial and private airlines: all animals must now fly in cargo. Because of the length of trip from Sydney to Vancouver, I must fly through Hawaii to ensure Casper'safety. If she was allowed in the cabin with me, with veggies identical to the salad I'd be eating in flight, this would be the ideal way to transport my pet.
So Casper will have no choice but to fly in cargo to and from Hawaii. The USDA in Hawaii has no issue with Casper travelling with the veggies, fruits, grass and hay she needs to survive the flight as they dispose of the crate contents when she arrives in Hawaii, and they are sending me a letter today saying so. I then need to take this letter to Qantas management for their approval, which apparently I have a 50/50 chance of getting approved by them! And then I have to go through this whole process with airlines from Hawaii to Vancouver…
*** Casper is no ordinary guinea pig. Born blind, deaf and with severe dental issues, she is only one of a handful of living ‘lethal white’ guinea pigs in the world: most lethal whites die within hours of birth, hence the name. A true survivor at a year and half old, Casper may live another five years. And she needs a flight halfway across the world.
Now that her Canadian owner is moving from Port Hedland, Western Australia back to Vancouver, Canada, Casper needs a ride on board a plane in order to survive the transpacific trip. As Casper gets all her water from fresh vegetables and hand-feedings, she wouldn’t survive the 15-hour flight from Sydney to Vancouver direct, and must make a stopover in Hawaii.
“Casper is very special,” says her owner Jenn Ladd, “and not just because she’s beaten the odds to survive. I consider her the ‘Helen Keller’ of guinea pigs for her amazing ability to not only enjoy her life immensely, but to be able to communicate with me. Lethal whites tend to be very affectionate and cuddly, so she spends a lot of time on my lap. She nibbles on my finger when she needs to use her litter box. Even though she’s profoundly deaf, she makes all the right guinea pig noises at the right times.
“I’m like Helen Keller’s companion, Anne Sullivan, which is why re-homing Casper isn’t an option. She’s fed a pellet mush four times a day through a syringe, and her veggies are cut up in to thin narrow strips in order for her to slurp them up like spaghetti, as she can’t take bites. I’ve tried to have other people feed her but she just won’t eat for anyone but me.”
Casper’s dental bills have added up since she was born in March 2008, and she’s seen Perth veterinary dental specialist Dr. Elizabeth Vickridge monthly and sometimes even weekly for tooth trimmings and extractions. Guinea pigs’ teeth continually grow but grind down against each other to keep them neat and trim: Casper has only one front tooth, which needs to be trimmed, and molars that grow over and entrap her tongue, requiring shaving in order for Casper to eat properly.
“I’ve asked all the commercial airlines that fly out of Australia if they will consider allowing Casper on board in her small crate but none will. She’s only 950 grams, and travels in a small cat carrier that fits under an airline seat,” says Jenn. “My hope is that a commercial airline will make an exception, or a private airline can make space on board for me and Casper, or an airline and Customs will allow her to travel with her vegetables and hay. If I were Richard Branson, it wouldn’t be difficult to get Casper to Canada, but I’m just an ordinary person with an extraordinary pet.”
Lethal whites are the result of poor breeding practices by those who do not realize that crossing certain colours of guinea pigs (roans, dalmations etc.) could produce these severely disabled babies.
Join the cause ‘Fly Casper Home’ on Facebook http://www.causes.com/flycasperhome, and add Casper Ladd as a friend to see more photos and videos of this special guinea pig.
Donations to help Fly Casper Home through PayPal http://flycasperhome.blogspot.com/
Casper on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khqdxSqVGRo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut3XHxGERW8
Photos of Casper http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm290/Mimoshu/Casper034-1.jpg http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm290/Mimoshu/DSC_0035.jpg http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm290/Mimoshu/HousePig011-1-1.jpg http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm290/Mimoshu/DSC01622-1.jpg http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm290/Mimoshu/DSC_0015-1.jpg
For more information on Lethal White guinea pigs http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.guineapigcages.com/forum/kitchen/4190-lethal-guinea-pigs.html http://www.guinealynx.com/
Email FlyCasperHome@hotmail.com
