Animals being transported internationally undergo biosecurity screening that can cause significant welfare stress through quarantine, inspection procedures, and travel delays.
International animal transport subjects companion animals to some of the most stressful experiences in their lives — unfamiliar containers, temperature extremes, loud cargo holds, and social isolation for hours or days. Quarantine adds weeks of kenneling in an unfamiliar environment. The regulatory framework governing animal air transport is inconsistently applied, and welfare incidents including heat stress deaths and escapes occur regularly. Genuine welfare improvement requires standardized airline compliance auditing and transparency about air cargo animal incident rates.