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Big Bird helps calm fear of flying as ‘therapy pet’

No longer a flightless bird, a turkey made a successful ascent into the sky on Monday, accompanying a passenger on a domestic flight as a support animal.

The turkey gobbled up the attention on board a US aircraft, seated alongside human passengers.

An image of the bird seated onboard the aircraft prior to takeoff was posted on Reddit. A passenger can be seen hugging the bird, which received the flight of its life.

A pet turkey was taken onboard a US flight as a support animal. Picture: Reddit/biggestlittlepickle
A pet turkey was taken onboard a US flight as a support animal. Picture: Reddit/biggestlittlepickle

“My neighbour is a flight attendant. He just posted this photo of someone’s ‘therapy pet,’ on his flight,” Reddit user biggestlittlepickle posted.

A photo was also shared by the same user of the turkey being transported in a wheelchair.

Experiencing anxiety when flying is common for many people, so an Emotional Service Animal (ESA) is permitted on flights in the US to passengers with the appropriate documentation from a medical practitioner. ESAs are generally dogs, but may also be other animals.

The rules differ from country to country, and each airline has a different policy, but it seems the US is more liberal with permitting ESAs onboard aircraft.

With the rise of ETAs comes the question of legitimacy. A woman in the US was caught out lying about having emotional illness so she could fly with her dog.

A woman lied about having emotional illness so she could fly with her dog. Picture: ABC News Videos
A woman lied about having emotional illness so she could fly with her dog. Picture: ABC News Videos

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