Four hedgehogs and three puppies died of heat exhaustion while transporter napped, report indicates

Four hedgehogs and three puppies are dead after a pet transporter’s air conditioning malfunctioned, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.

The animals were being transported by Holm Small Pet Transport out of Abilene, KS, when the transporter stopped to take a nap around 6 p.m. on August 31. Three hours later, the transporter awoke and checked on the animals in the rear of the vehicle.

The transporter found the air conditioning unit was not operating correctly and was blowing warm air into the vehicle. The four hedgehogs and three puppies in the rear of the vehicle were deceased.

The USDA cited Holm Pet Transport with a critical violation for the incident.

“The transporter must ensure that all animals never be subjected to any combination of temperature, humidity and time that is detrimental to the animal’s health or well-being,” the USDA inspector noted.