The door of Amalka’s crate had likely become loose during mid-flight turbulence and opened during unloading. One of Europe’s busiest airports temporarily closed two of its runways on Tuesday as part of search efforts to find a missing dog. The pet escaped from its carrier a week ago at Paris’ Charles-de-Gaulle Airport and has not yet been found.
The animal and its owner were travelling on an Air France flight from Vienna and had landed in Paris for a layover before continuing on to Dallas. Air France says that staff, volunteers and transport police are working round the clock to find the dog. A week ago, Croatian tourist Míša launched an appeal on social media to find her , Amalka, who escaped from the cargo hold of her plane upon landing at Charles-de-Gaulle .
The door of Amalka’s crate had likely become loose during mid-flight turbulence and came undone during unloading, Air France said. The airline is one of a growing number that allows pets to travel in the cabin, but only those under 8kg - at 15 kg, Amalka had to travel in the hold. Owner Míša told French media that she is extremely distressed by the incident and has remained in Paris to help with search efforts.
"I have ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and Amalka was trained to be my emotional support . In situations like this, she’s usually there for me," Míša told French newspaper Le Parisien. Two-year-old Amalka has evaded attempts so far to be reunited with her owner and is still.