Did Giant Rabbit Die In Freezer After United Flight? Owners Want Independent Probe

DES MOINES, IA — A giant rabbit that was found dead last month after a United Airlines flight from London to Chicago might have accidentally been placed in a freezer for up to 16 hours, and the Des Moines lawyer representing the animal's prospective ownership group said the carrier cremated the rabbit without permission, according to USA Today. Simon — a 3-foot Continental Giant that was expected to grow to become the world's largest rabbit — died after traveling in the cargo hold of a United Boeing 767 from London's Heathrow Airport to O'Hare International Airport.

Guy Cook, the lawyer representing Simon Group, the Iowa-based group that bought the 10-month-old rabbit in order to have it compete at the Iowa State Fair, said Monday at a news conference that his clients want an independent investigation into the animal's death, the report stated. The group also is asking for United to reimburse the rabbit's purchase price and shipping costs, as well as cover the "economic loss" to the owners caused by Simon's demise, the report added. The Chicago-based airline has seven days to respond to the group's demands before a lawsuit will be filed.

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On Monday, Cook told reporters that at least one United employee has claimed Simon was wrongly placed in a freezer — possibly as long as 16 hours — following the flight from London, the report stated. He also said that the rabbit's remains were cremated without the ownership group's permission, an act he compared to "destorying evidence," the report added.

RELATED: Dead Giant Rabbit On United Flight Creates New Problem For Airline

The ownership group purchased Simon from Annette Edwards, a British breeder. According to Edwards, the rabbit had been checked by a veterinarian before the flight and was "fit as a fiddle." It was hoped that Simon would eventually grow larger than Darius, his record-setting, 4-foot, 4-inch father.

In a statement released after Simon's death last month, United said it was saddened by the incident and was reviewing the matter. In 2016, United's level of animal deaths and injuries was the second-highest among U.S. airlines, and it also had the highest number of animal deaths and injuries for U.S. airlines.

Simon's death came directly on the heels of the public outrage generated over the violent dragging of a United passenger who refused to give up his seat aboard a flight from O'Hare. Dr. David Dao, 69, was one of four people randomly chosen to be bumped from the Chicago-to-Louisville flight so that airline employees could fly. Dao, who accepted a settlement agreement from the airline, suffered a "significant concussion" and a broken nose in the altercation.

More via USA Today

Guy Cook, a lawyer representing the ownership group that bought Simon, a giant rabbit that died after flying from London to Chicago, holds a news conference Monday, May 8, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Charlie Neibergall | Associated Press)

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