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Travelers with fake service animals trigger response

A turkey on a Delta flight was described as an “emotional support animal,” The Telegraph reported in January 2016. The picture was later picked up on Reddit with the bird being called a “therapy pet.” Source: WCTV

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

A turkey on a Delta flight was described as an “emotional support animal,” The Telegraph reported in January 2016. The picture was later picked up on Reddit with the bird being called a “therapy pet.” Source: WCTV

By Kelly Yamanouchi

Nov 3, 2016

Some people who travel with emotional support animals are starting to raise some eyebrows.

The issue of fake emotional support animals is a growing problem for flight attendants, frequent fliers and people with disabilities who have service animals for medical reasons, reports the AJC's Ellen Eldridge.

“It’s getting to be ridiculous,” Jen Williams, an Atlanta-based flight attendant, told Eldridge. “A co-worker saw a ferret wearing a diaper that was supposedly an emotional support animal.”

Read the full story for more about why people have emotional support animals and how much it normally costs to travel with a pet.

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