President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) wore a special tie to pay homage to the dog “Joca”, a five-year-old golden retriever who died during an air transport carried out by Gollog, a company belonging to the airline Gol, on Monday, 22 The PT member also demanded action from the airline and more extensive inspection by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac).
During a signing ceremony for projects aimed at the Ministry of Culture, Lula stated that wearing the tie, which is illustrated with a drawing of a dog, was a form of protest against what happened to the golden retriever.
“My tie has a little dog on it. I put it on this morning in protest of what happened to a citizen’s dog, who sent his dog to Sinop, in Mato Grosso. This dog, instead of being shipped to Sinop , he was shipped to Ceará. When he arrived in Ceará, they discovered that he wasn’t going there, they sent him back and the dog died, because he spent eight hours without drinking water, trapped inside the plane”, said the PT member.
“I think Gol has to be accountable, I think Anac has to monitor this and I think we allow this to continue happening in Brazil. So, this tie is a tribute and our solidarity”, added the PT member.
The first lady, Janja da Silva, also took a stance on the death of the golden retriever and said that Gol acted “irresponsibly”. According to her, the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, contacted Anac, which initiated administrative proceedings against the airline. According to the minister, the company will have three days to explain the reasons that led to Joca’s death during transport.
“Yesterday everyone found out about Joca’s case and, unfortunately, due to the irresponsibility of the airline Gol, the dog died during transport. He was treated as cargo, not as a living being”, said Janja in a video published on X , this Wednesday, 24.
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Understand the case of the dog’s death during Gol transport
This Monday, Joca’s owner, João Fantazzini, left the dog at Guarulhos Airport, in Greater São Paulo. The golden retriever’s destination was Sinop, in Mato Grosso, but he ended up being transported to Fortaleza, Ceará.
“As soon as the tutor arrived in Sinop, he was notified about what had happened and his choice was to return to Guarulhos to meet Joca again. Gol deeply regrets what happened and sympathizes with his tutor’s pain,” said the airline.
Through social media, Fantazinni held Gol responsible for the fatality. “You are the love of my life, sorry for anything. They need to pay. They killed my son (…) You taught me what true love is, what empathy is and the true meaning of partner and love! My I will miss you every day!” said the golden retriever’s owner.
After the incident, Gol suspended the dog and cat transportation service for 30 days. The airline reported that it is carrying out an internal investigation to investigate the dog’s death. According to the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat (SSP-SP), Joca’s guardians gave a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the 23rd.
