ST. PETERSBURG, January 19. /TASS/. A court in St. Petersburg has ordered an airline to pay emotional damages and fines to a man after a dog broke out of its crate in the baggage compartment and bit his cat to death, the united press service of city courts said.
The Nevsky District Court of St. Petersburg ordered Rossiya Airlines to pay material damages of 11,700 rubles ($130), 50,000 rubles ($558) in emotional damages, and a 30,850 rubles ($344) fine to Viktor Miitichkin. "The court also charged legal costs in proportion to the satisfied claims," the press service said.
It followed from the suit that the claimant was flying from St. Petersburg to Kaliningrad with three cats. Two cats were in the baggage department in special crates and one cat was with the claimant.
After the end of the flight, the man was told that his cat had died from injuries inflicted by a hunt terrier that was also being kept in the baggage compartment. The dog, which weighed about 10 kg, broke out of its crate and mauled the cat, after which it got stuck in the carrier containing the dead animal. The dog was transported without a muzzle, proper cage or safety nets, the claimant said.