In 2023, a cat named Neko met a tragic fate in Paris when it was run over by a departing train after escaping from its owner’s bag. The incident sparked outrage in France as the train, carrying 800 passengers, left without rescuing the animal despite pleas from the owners. The national rail operator SNCF defended its actions by stating that the cat was not visible at the time.
After much deliberation, SNCF has now implemented clear rules regarding such situations. According to the new protocol, if a pet escapes and falls onto the train tracks in France, a train can be delayed by a maximum of 20 minutes to rescue the animal. The protocol aims to formalize existing practices and ensure that staff handle such incidents with compassion and common sense.
The new rules require SNCF staff to act promptly upon receiving a report of a missing animal. They have 10 minutes to locate the animal from the platform and, if spotted, another 10 minutes to safely remove it without entering the danger zone. If the animal remains missing, the train must proceed at a very low speed to give it a final chance to escape.
Despite Neko’s owners suing SNCF over the incident, they lost on appeal. Following the cat’s tragic death, Clement Beaune, the transport minister at the time, urged SNCF to review and potentially change its internal procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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