A flight in Australia faced a two-hour delay after a snake was discovered in the cargo hold. This unusual incident occurred on Virgin Australia Flight VA337 at Melbourne Airport, which was preparing to head to Brisbane.
As passengers boarded the plane, staff found the snake hiding in the darkened cargo area. Snake catcher Mark Pelley was called to handle the situation. Initially, he feared the snake might be venomous, which added urgency to his task.
Pelley described the moment he approached the snake, noting that it was partially concealed behind a panel. He worried that if it escaped, it could hide deeper inside the aircraft, making it much harder to catch. "I had one chance to grab it," he explained. "If it got away, we would have to evacuate the plane."
Fortunately, Pelley successfully captured the snake on his first attempt. After securing it, he discovered that it was a harmless green tree snake, measuring about 60 centimeters long. "It looked dangerous at first, but I realized it wasn’t venomous after I caught it," he said.
According to Pelley, the snake likely came on board as a stowaway in a passenger’s luggage, which is not a common occurrence. He emphasized that such situations are rare in air travel.
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 find a suitable home for it with a licensed snake keeper.
This incident highlights the unexpected challenges that can arise in air travel and the quick actions required to resolve them.