Bermuda to and from America and Canada.

Delta, US Airways, American Airlines, Air Canada and Continental have all issued an embargo on the movement of pets and other creatures while the soaring temperatures continue in the US.

The ban will last until the middle of September and takes immediate effect.

The only airline not to have a restriction in place is British Airways, which serves Bermuda and the UK, where strict quarantine laws are in place.

All the airlines have a blanket ban, except American Airlines which will not carry animals while the temperature remains above 85 at the departure or arrival airport.

The embargoes come over fears of the effect the heat would have on animals, which have a lower threshold for temperature.

Delta said the high temperatures in many cities -- coupled with aircraft taxi delays -- can subject animals to heat stress, which could lead to sickness or death.

Passengers who had planned to fly with their pet between now and September 15 will be able to cancel their reservations without penalty, the airline said.

The only exception to the new policy will be in the case of pet owners who are now in the middle of a trip. They will be allowed to return home with their pets as checked baggage if the temperature when they fly does not exceed 85 degrees.

If the flight-time temperature is higher than that, they can reschedule without penalty for an early morning or evening flight, when the weather is cooler.

American Airlines halted the practice in May because temperatures were so varied at airports across the country.

"We have this policy year-round that if the ground temperature reaches 80 degrees we stop checking animals as bags,'' American spokesman Tim Smith said.

ANIMALS ALS