A horse was discovered dead upon arrival at John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport in New York, N.Y. on Friday morning (July 15).

Sara Beth Joren, spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said that the horse was traveling aboard El Al cargo flight 831 airline cargo flight from Belgium to New York and was discovered dead when the flight arrived at JFK at 9:45 a.m. on Friday.

"All I know is that (the animal) passed away," Joren said. "We’re referring press inquiries to El Al."

The USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) inspects all horses entering the U.S. from all countries except Canada. Horses arriving from Europe and elsewhere are generally held in quarantine for three days, said APHIS spokeswoman Andrea McNally