10:19 AM ET 04/15/99

KLM Apologizes for Killing Squirrels

 KLM Apologizes for Killing Squirrels
 By ANTHONY DEUTSCH=
 Associated Press Writer=
 	   AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) _ Stung by public outrage, KLM Royal
 Dutch Airlines apologized Thursday for using a bleep! bleep! to
 kill 440 Chinese squirrels shipped illegally to the Netherlands.
 	   KLM called Monday's slaughter an unethical mistake, but said it
 had little choice after failing to find a new home for the furry
 rodents, which arrived from China last week without proper
 documentation en route to a collector in Athens, Greece.
 	   In a statement, the airline said it ``made a grave mistake on
 ethical grounds'' when it killed the squirrels, and said it
 deserved criticism from the public and animal rights groups.
 	   It said it ``offers its most sincere apologies to animal lovers
 and all those offended by the events.''
 	   The employee responsible for the slaughter has been ordered to
 stay home pending an investigation. KLM said it would no longer
 accept shipments of animals from China and was considering stopping
 all transports of exotic animals.
 	   However, KLM argued that it followed health regulations covering
 the importation of live animals. The airline blamed the Dutch
 Ministry of Nature Management for ordering the squirrels to be
 destroyed because they arrived without proper documentation.
 	   Officials have said such rules are intended to minimize the risk
 of accidentally introducing animals and diseases not native to the
 country.
 	   KLM spokesman Joessef Eddiei said the squirrels were killed
 instantly by being dropped _ while apparently still alive _ into a
 bleep! used in the commercial poultry industry and recommended by
 the government for animal disposal.
 	   ``It may sound strange, but it's the most humane way to destroy
 animals,'' he told The Associated Press.
 	   ``We absolutely don't find this normal,'' countered Mieke
 Holtslag of the De Meern Foundation for Squirrel Refuge.
 	   ``It's simply absurd,'' she said. ``Just the fact that they
 killed them makes me nauseous, let alone how they did it.''
 	   Despite repeated requests from KLM, the Beijing exporter who
 shipped the squirrels refused last weekend to take them back, the
 airline said. It said it couldn't find anyone else to take them.
 	   Holtslag's husband, Jaap, said the couple's shelter _ which
 caters specifically to squirrels _ was never asked to help.
 	   The squirrels' brief stay at an animal detention center at
 Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport was disrupted when a large number of
 the animals escaped, scurrying onto the runway and causing some
 panic among baggage handlers. Nearly all the escapees were believed
 to have been recaptured.
 	   KLM said it has asked Dutch and European animal rights
 organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund and the European
 Association of Zoos and Aquaria, to discuss the incident and avoid
 another unpleasant situation.