‘United, let the pets fly’
In hopes of getting the attention of a so far unresponsive United Airlines, several Saipan residents joined Boonie Babies, Saipan Humane Society, and the Boonie Flight Project in a peaceful protest outside the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport yesterday.
The group is requesting the return of the carrier’s PetSafe travel program.
“We are really pleasantly surprised with the turnout. But really this is an issue that affects so many people, we get at least one message every single week of an owner here on island begging us for help because they’re moving and they have no idea what to do with their dog,” said Boonie Babies’ Aria Keilbach.
And they have to be the ones to apologize and break the news that United Airlines still doesn’t fly dogs off-island after the carrier cancelled its PetSafe travel program.
“It’s just heartbreaking as the family realizes they have to leave a piece of them behind as they’re going to move. We have a dog with us right now whose owner literally needed lifesaving heart surgery and was devastated to leave her behind but had no choice. We’re really grateful to the community for coming out and showing their support because it’s affecting people here and a lot of them at that and it’s good to see that people are speaking up about it.”
SHS and Boonie Flight Project founder Lauren Cabrera lauded Boonie Babies for organizing the protest at the airport.
“I think it’s amazing we had such a great turnout. Boonie Babies has done such a great job organizing it. It’s long overdue. United discontinued their pet shipping program in 2018 and they currently only allow military from Guam to ship pets from Guam to Honolulu, leaving the rest of us stranded. And pets get left behind, there’s a lot of unnecessary euthanasia, and suffering of animals because of this it’s breaking the heart of families, and it just seems borderline discriminatory almost to allow military only this exemption and then leave the rest of us stranded. I’m the president of the animal shelter on Guam and 40% of the surrenders there are due to relocation issues and the majority of those are euthanized, and the blood is on the hands of United.”
People young and old united in the protest with several protesters even totting various signs that read “No pets left behind,” “Save the boonies,” and “If we don’t fly, we die.”
Ten-year-old Finn Fraiche explained his sign which read “Let pets fly, let pets fly, down with United.”
“I have two cats here that I really love, and I’m leaving in two years, and I want them to be able to come with me. My teacher’s leaving this year and she has a few pets so I want them to be able to come with us,” he said.
Kagman resident and animal welfare adviser Dorsha Moreno said Saipan needs to get dogs on island access to homes in the states because of dog overpopulation on the island.
“We don’t have enough people to adopt locally, so we’re trying to get people in the states to adopt them. Without flights going out we don’t really have that resource. We need United to open up their pet flight services so we can have these dogs find a forever family. There are already adopters available in the states, one of the dogs here with us today already has an adopter but they’re unable to bring the dog over there because the flights aren’t open,” she said.
Another concerned citizen, Christine Vadai, said she’s surprised to find out that United has restrictions on taking animals on planes.
“I thought that’s outrageous because obviously those of us who are on Saipan and who love animals want to be able to take them with us when we leave or bring them where we go. I want to raise visibility because I know there are a lot of animal lovers on Saipan and the more pressure we can put on United Airlines to help loosen restrictions, I think the more people we can make happy.”
Keilbach shared their first move after United wasn’t listening to their pleas was to start a petition. The first petition did so well, but United never complied or even responded. She shared that Boonie Babies has started circling another petition and over 20,000 people have already affixed their signatures on the document.
She genuinely hopes United will hear them and eventually make the change.
To sign the petition or if you want to donate, can click on https://linktr.ee/booniebabies.
Also to learn more about Boonie Babies and their mission at their website https://booniebabiessaipan.com/ or check out their social platforms on IG or Facebook @booniebabiesrescue or @booniebabiesaipan.
Want to find out more about Saipan Humane Society and the Boonie Flight Project? You can also check out their website https://saipanhumanesociety.org/ or their social handles @saipanhumanesociety on IG and Facebook.
Concerned Saipan residents join Boonie Babies, Saipan Humane Society, and Boonie Flight Project’s peaceful protest outside the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport yesterday.
-CHRYSTAL MARINO
In an effort to get United Airlines to resume PetSafe travel, several concerned residents joined Boonie Babies, Saipan Humane Society, and Boonie Flight Project’s peaceful protest outside the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport yesterday.
-CHRYSTAL MARINO
Ten-year-old Finn Fraiche raises his sign while joining Boonie Babies, Saipan Humane Society, and Boonie Flight Project’s peaceful protest outside the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport yesterday.
-CHRYSTAL MARINO
This furbaby shares his story, standing with Boonie Babies, Saipan Humane Society, and Boonie Flight Project in a peaceful protest outside the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport yesterday.
-CHRYSTAL MARINO
Mango wears a tell-all sign during Boonie Babies, Saipan Humane Society, and Boonie Flight Project’s peaceful protest outside the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport yesterday.
-CHRYSTAL MARINO
