The Iowa ownership group which purchased Simon, the three-foot-long rabbit found dead after his arrival in Chicago after a United Airlines flight from London, says it seeks an independent investigation into his death, a change in the airline's animal transport policies and monetary compensation. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI |
License Photo
May 9 (UPI) -- Owners of a giant rabbit found dead on a United Airlines flight want an independent investigation into the incident, their lawyer said.
The ownership group, based in Iowa, paid $2,330 to acquire Simon, a 10-month-old, three-feet-long Continental Giant rabbit, from a British breeder, with plans to enter him in the Iowa State Fair and help the fair's charitable Blue Ribbon Foundation. It was anticipated Simon would eventually become the world's largest rabbit, a title currently held by his father, but he was found dead on April 19 after a United flight from London to Chicago.
Des Moines attorney Guy Cook said Monday that the owners – retired Wells Fargo executive Mark Oman; Steve Breure, president of farm appraisal firm People's Co., and Benning Financial partner Duke Reichardt – seek an investigation into the rabbit's death, and a change in United's protocols for transporting animals. Cook said a British newspaper, citing anonymous sources, suggested Simon was inadvertently locked in a freezer before he was scheduled to board a connecting flight from Chicago to Kansas City.
A United spokesperson called the statement "completely false," the Des Moines Register said.
Cook also said Simon's remains were cremated by the airline without the owner's consent, an action tantamount to "destroying evidence" and making an autopsy impossible. He added that the ownership group seeks the purchase price of the rabbit, shipping costs and recovery of an undefined "economic loss of Simon's future attraction as the 'World's Largest Rabbit.'" He threatened a lawsuit against United if the airline offers no response.
The animal's breeder, Annette Edwards, said Simon was in good health prior to the flight from London. A statement from United said the rabbit arrived in Chicago "in apparent good health" and was seen moving in his crate, but later a worker "noticed Simon was motionless and that he had passed away."
The story of Simon's demise came as United was dealing with a prior public relations issue, a backlash over a passenger who was forcibly dragged from an overbooked flight.
