Unusual Flight Delay in Australia Due to Stowaway Snake
In a surprising turn of events, a domestic flight in Australia was delayed for two hours after a stowaway snake was discovered in the plane’s cargo hold. This incident occurred on Tuesday at Melbourne Airport, where passengers were getting ready to board Virgin Australia Flight VA337, destined for Brisbane.
The snake, a harmless green tree snake measuring about 60 centimeters (or approximately 2 feet), caught the attention of local snake catcher Mark Pelley. Although he later identified it as non-venomous, Pelley initially thought it could be dangerous as he approached it in the dimly lit cargo area.
“I was quite concerned when I first saw it. I wasn’t sure what I was dealing with until I caught it,” Pelley remarked. Australia is known for having many of the world’s most venomous snakes, so the situation had potential for panic.
When Pelley made his way into the cargo hold, the snake was partly concealed behind a panel. He warned the airline staff and engineers that they might need to evacuate the plane if the snake eluded capture, as it could easily slip deeper into the aircraft.
“I told them that if I didn’t catch it on the first try, we’d be tearing apart a Boeing 737 looking for a snake,” he explained.
Fortunately, Pelley managed to secure the snake on his first attempt. After taking about 30 minutes to reach the airport and dealing with security delays, he was relieved to have resolved the unusual dilemma quickly. An airline representative confirmed that the flight ended up being delayed by approximately two hours.
Pelley suspects that the snake may have hitched a ride in a passenger’s luggage, escaping during the flight from Brisbane to Melbourne. Due to quarantine regulations, the snake cannot be released back into the wild. Instead, it has been handed over to a veterinarian in Melbourne, who will ensure it finds a new home with a licensed snake keeper.
