The Telegraph

Pet-Owners moving out of Calcutta need not fret any longer about leaving their beloved animals behind to suffer traumatic stints with strangers. Dogs cats and even birds can now simply be 'courierd' across, thanks to the unique initiative of a passionate dog lover.

Jaideep Raha, executive director for Jetex Oceanair Pvt Ltd, a city based freight forwarding firm, has launched a service to airlift pets out of the city to any where in India. Jetex, which stated the "first of it kind" service early this month, takes "total responsibility" of transportation including picking up the pet from the owner's residence and arranging delivery at the destination.

"The idea came to me after I visit karuna kunj an animal shelter near Thakurpukur which houses pets left behind by transferred executives, alongside stray dogs and cats"recalls Raha. Hugely fond of dogs himself, the commerce graduate, who has trained himself in handling live animals and subscribes regularly to the Live Animal Regulation
(LAR) manual of IATA, decided to address the issue.

"Transporting pets often results in a lot of trauma for both the owners and the pets, in the absence of any specialized service. Hence, the animals are often left behind with reluctant relatives and friends or worse, with cruel, unscrupulous breeders. Our service provides a
professional, sensitive alternative" say Raha.

Jetex has experienced handlers looking after the pets till flight takes off,. Vets do a complete check-up before clearing the pets for air travel and are on standby for any Emergency, specially- designed cages, conforming to LAR and EU council directive , are being imported from Arlington, Texas. The fiberglass cages have a spill proof water and nutrient supply system and animal-release-proof safety latches.

"When a client first approached me to transport his Golden Retriever to Mumbai, I have to ferry the big dog in an outsized pinewood cage that entailed a hefty freight charge," smiles Raha. While the silk exporter had to fork out a princely sum of Rs 1600 to move his dog to his new base then, Jetex has now streamlined its service and costs.

"Transporting a full-grown German Shepherd dog would now cost around Rs 7000 all-inclusive, once the new kennels arrive by mid September. "The fees can be paid at the point of origin or disembarkation, according to the convenience of the owner.

Raha, who has first -mover advantage in the field, project a Rs 1 crore-per-year market in Calcutta for outbound pets. "On an average, at least 3,000 professionals are transferred out of the city every year. Even if 10 per cent of them own pets, it's a steady traffic.