‘First time': Snake found on Aussie flight

News.com.au

20 hours ago

A flight departing Melbourne was delayed for more than an hour on Tuesday afternoon after a surprise discovery, a snake inside the cargo hold.
The reptile, believed to be a green tree snake, was found slithering among luggage on-board a Virgin Australia aircraft. It's suspected the snake hitched a ride in a suitcase from Queensland, where the flight had originated, and escaped during transit.
Professional snake catcher Mark Pelley was called in to safely remove the animal. Mr Pelley told Sunrise that he'd caught lots of snakes at Melbourne airport but it was the first time he'd caught one on a plane.
'Snakes are everywhere. In Australia I find them in schools, factories, offices, businesses, airports, you name it, I find snakes. It's one of the things of being in our wonderful country,' he said.
'The snake was very scared. It wasn't angry. Snakes never try to hurt people. They're always trying to get away. This snake was in a position where it was almost behind the panels.
'Had I not caught it on the first go, it would have crawled behind the panels of the plane. They'd have had to evacuate the plane and I would have been with the engineering team pulling apart the plane.'
Mr Pelley said the most important thing to know was 'snakes are usually the ones looking out for you'.
'If you come across a snake, leave it alone and do what Virgin Airlines did, which is stay away from the snake, watch it at a safe distance and call the closest snake catcher,' he said.
The snake will be examined by a veterinarian before a decision is made about its future.
Virgin Australia thanked passengers for their patience in the matter.
Following the snake's removal, Virgin Australia flight VA337 to Brisbane resumed operations.