MELBOURNE, Australia. A domestic flight in Australia was delayed for two hours after a green tree snake was discovered in the cargo hold of a Virgin Australia aircraft, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The snake was spotted on Tuesday while passengers were boarding Flight VA337 from Melbourne to Brisbane. Snake catcher Mark Pelley was called to remove the reptile and said the situation initially appeared dangerous.
“It wasn’t until after I caught the snake that I realized that it wasn’t venomous. Until that point, it looked very dangerous to me,” Pelley said. The green tree snake, though non-venomous, is often mistaken for more dangerous species due to its appearance.
Australia is home to many of the world’s most venomous snakes, and Pelley took no chances when entering the darkened cargo area. The snake was partially hidden behind a panel and could have escaped deeper into the aircraft.
“I said to them if I don’t get this in one shot, it’s going to sneak through the panels and you’re going to have to evacuate the plane because at that stage I did not know what kind of snake it was,” he recalled.
Luckily, Pelley was able to catch the snake on his first attempt. “If I didn’t get it that first time, the engineers and I would be pulling apart a 737 looking for a snake still right now,” he added.
The flight was delayed for about two hours while the situation was resolved. Pelley said he had to drive 30 minutes to reach the airport and was held up by security before being allowed access to the aircraft.
Pelley believes the snake, which is native to the Brisbane region, may have hitchhiked inside a passenger’s luggage during the earlier flight from Brisbane to Melbourne and escaped upon landing.
Due to quarantine regulations, the snake cannot be released back into the wild. It has been turned over to a Melbourne veterinarian who will find a home for it with a licensed snake keeper, as it is a protected species.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
