More animals than you think have died on United flights since 2012

A surprising number of animals have died mid-flight on United and an even larger number have perished overall.

We’ve all traveled with animals or at the very least seen people traveling with animals. It’s a pretty common thing that we don’t give much thought to — just like how we don’t really think about those animals not making it all the way to their destination.

The thought of pets dying while in the middle of a flight is probably one of the most horrifying things imaginable. Unfortunately, it happens far more often than you’d think. Most recently a giant rabbit named Simon — who measured 3 feet in length — died on a United flight (because of course) from London to Chicago. News of the rabbit’s death, which likely had more to do with its monstrous size than anything else, has spurred a conversation about mid-flight pet deaths and how frequently that occurs.

According to a report from USA Today, since 2012 there have been 53 animals that have died while aboard United flights.

While it’s easy to single out United, this isn’t a singular problem. Across all airlines a reported 136 animals have died in the last five years while stowed away on planes.

That’s more animals than most of us thought because most of us thought that number was zero. Maybe it’s the naive Minnesotan in me, but this is the first time the idea that an animal can die mid-flight has ever occurred in my mind.

It’s a terrifying thought.

Thankfully, when you consider the bigger picture here the percentage of deaths is very low. 156 animal deaths over 5 years of flights is an astronomically low number. But no matter how low that number is, it’s always set against the backdrop of our expectations of such a thing being zero.

Please never tell anyone those odds.