Around the World - Column by Jennifer Merin

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Around The World: The Search for Safe Passage for Herbert The Turtle

Jennifer Merin

"He’s soooooo cute, and his shell has such beautiful markings, and when I feed him, he nibbles from my hand and looks up at me in such a smart way. I just can’t bear the thought of not having him with me for several months," says Jenna Halpin, who’s relocating from the East Coast to Los Angeles for a work/study internship program.

Jenna’s speaking about Herbert the turtle, a pet she acquired nine months ago. He was an impulse buy from a street vendor in New York’s Chinatown, where she was catching the Fung Wah low fare commuter bus from New York to Boston, where she’s in graduate school.

The vendor’s sign advertised 2 turtles for $10, but Jenna only had a $20 bill and needed $15 for the bus. So, she talked the vendor into selling Herbert to her for $5. It was love at first sight.

It never occurred to Jenna that commuting with Herbert by bus, train or plane would present a problem due to baggage restrictions. Indeed, she’d had no problem whatsoever in transporting Herbert on the Fung Wah bus--nobody even noticed the turtle or, if they did, they didn’t care. Herbert rode to Boston in style, on Jenna’s lap. And he’s made that commute several times since without any problems.

However, Jenna is now finding it quite a challenge to find a way to take Herbert, who has under her nurturing care grown from the size of a quarter to the size of the lid of a small size jar of mayonnaise--roughly two-and-a-half inches in diameter--with her on her latest educational adventure.

“The agent at American Airlines was very sweet and quite apologetic,” Jenna says, “but she told me that the airline won’t allow me to bring Herbert board with me. The airline just doesn’t accept reptiles for in-cabin transportation. Not even a little turtle. The only animals that can be in the cabin with you are cats and dogs.”

After giving Jenna the chapter and verse about American Airlines’ in-cabin animal rules, the sweet agent suggested that Jenna call the carrier’s cargo division, where she might have better luck.

Yes, said the cargo agent, American Airlines will accept a turtle for shipping. After asking Jenna a lot of questions about her departure airport, routing and destination, and about Herbert’s size and weight, the agent informed Jenna of the cost to cargo Herbert from New York to Los Angeles. Bottom line: the charges would amount to a minimum of $192 to transport little Herbert from the Big Apple to the Big Orange.

That, it so happens, is almost as much as the cost of Jenna’s one way airfare. The price of Herbert‘s ‘ticket’ is well beyond her student’s budget. As much as she loves Herbert, he won’t be traveling with her on American Airlines.

Other airlines have similar regulations and roughly equal prices.

The no-reptiles-in-passenger-cabins rule seems to be universal. It’s as if the suggested presence of a Herbert, the two-and-a-half inch turtle, or any of his little brethren, unleashes images from “Snakes On A Plane” in their corporate minds.

Jet Blue transports no animals whatsoever--neither in cabin nor cargo.

Delta, with the most liberal in-cabin policy, allows passengers to carry on dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, hamsters, gerbils and, even, ferrets. Yes, ferrets. No turtles. And Delta’s minimum cargo cost for pets is $150, even if he’s only two-and-a-half inches in diameter and weighs less than one of those little snack bags of peanuts that the airlines used to give away for free.

Continental, which adds rabbits and birds to its in-cabin list, charges a minimum of $153 per cargo hold pet, including wee turtles.

Actually United provided a moment of relief, but it turned out to be false hope. The reservations agent turned Jenna over to the cargo agent, who sent Jenna back to reservations with instructions to ask that Herbert be accepted as ‘excess checked baggage’ rather than as cargo. What’s the difference? The $58 savings between the price for checking excess baggage and the minimum cost of cargo-ing a pet. Alas, only dogs and cats are accepted as ‘excess checked baggage.’

On the up side, all of the cargo agents assured Jenna that shipped animals are well cared for. She would, of course, have to pack Herbert properly--in a ventilated plastic or wood container that’s large enough for him to move around in, but not high enough for him to flip over on his back. The container would be labeled ‘live pet’ and ‘this side up.’ They also suggested that crumpled paper be used as a cushioning material.

“The crumpled paper had me worried. Herbert’s so little, I had visions of him getting lost in it,” says Jenna. “But mostly it was the cost. When they told me how much they would charge for Herbert as cargo, I thought about taking the train instead,” says Jenna. “I called Amtrak, and I got a great price on a ticket--it was about $150, but I had to stop and change trains in Chicago. But that was actually a nice idea, because I could stay overnight with friends from college and have a nice visit. But then I wanted to bring Herbert, my turtle, with me and the agent told me they don’t allow any animals on the trains--except for service animals like seeing eye dogs, and then you need all sorts of certification.”

As Jenna conversed further with the Amtrak agent, she described Herbert. Surprised by his diminutive size, the agent laughed, and sort of hinted--albeit very obliquely by suggesting that probably nobody on board the train would notice anything that small--that Jenna might be able to get away with carrying Herbert in her pocket. Jenna wasn’t sure she heard him right or that her interpretation of his sly comment wasn’t just wishful thinking on her part. So, she pressed him a bit. His response was alarming: If they discover Herbert, they will put him--and her--off train. And, she thought, even if she could secret Herbert in her pocket from New York to Chicago, he might be found during the change of trains and then she’d either have to abandon Herbert or discontinue her trip. Neither choice would be acceptable.

If she pocketed Herbert onto an airplane, the consequences could be even worse. She’d be transporting contraband. Not a good idea.

So, if hiding Herbert is out of the question, and the air cargo prices are too high, how about the bus? Too long a ride. How about FedEx? No. The company freights no live animals.

So, for the time being, Jenna’s pet turtle will be boarded with her brother. "I know he likes Herbert, but I just hope he remembers to feed Herbert," she says, a worried expression on her face revealing that this is a situation she’d rather not use as a test of this--or any--relationship.

It’s already testing her relationship with travel. "It’s seems so pointless," Jenna comments. "Herbert is completely harmless. He takes no space and weighs next to nothing. Is it just about the money? Or is there a real reason why they won’t let him travel with me? I can’t figure out what that might be."

Copyright 2008 Jennifer Merin

This news arrived on: 08/31/2008

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