Animals who, for one reason or another, have to travel, are finally going to get the accommodations they deserve.
Adorably - and biblically - named The ARK, a new wing at New York's JFK Airport will have luxury accommodations for animals of all kinds, from cats and dogs to horses, cows, sloths and aardvarks. The wing, which will handle the 70,000 animals JFK Airport sees through its doors per year, will feature climate-controlled stalls for large animals as well as paddling pools and spa services for pups. And people traveling with their pets will be able to watch their pets through special webcams.
"A lot of our design making is in collaboration with veterinarians and consultants to help minimize the amount of stress placed on the animal," Cliff Bollmann, one of the wing's architects, told the Associated Press.
"It's high time they were not treated like baggage," one Facebook commenter wrote. "I have heard so many horror stories. The two dogs I've seen on planes were with passengers. One was a service dog for a blind lady and the other was in a tote and never made a sound. They deserve better treatment."
Others remained skeptical: "I would NEVER put an animal on an airplane... heard of too many that have not been handled well to ever risk it."
Airport animal horror stories are all too common. Traveling animals have been known to go missing for days and some tragically appear to be lost forever. Hopefully the luxury terminal, which opens next year and has a hefty price tag of $48 million, will decrease the risk of harm for animals who have to fly.
