Snake on a plane delays Australia flight as snake catcher summoned
MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian domestic flight was delayed for two hours after a stowaway snake was found in the plane's cargo hold, officials said on Wednesday.
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The snake was found on Tuesday as passengers were boarding Virgin Australia Flight VA337 at Melbourne Airport bound for Brisbane, according to snake catcher Mark Pelley.
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The snake turned out to be a harmless 60-centimetre green tree snake. But Pelly said he thought it could be venomous when he approached it in the darkened hold.
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'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.
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When Pelley entered the cargo hold, the snake was half hidden behind a panel and could have disappeared deeper into the plane.
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Pelley said he told an aircraft engineer and airline staff that they would have to evacuate the aircraft if the snake disappeared inside the plane.
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'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,' Pelley said.
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'But thankfully, I got it on the first try and captured it,' Pelley added. 'If I didn't get it that first time, the engineers and I would be pulling apart a (Boeing) 737 looking for a snake still right now.'
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Pelley said he had taken 30 minutes to drive to the airport and was then delayed by security before he could reach the airliner.
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An airline official said the flight was delayed around two hours.
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Because the snake is native to the Brisbane region, Pelley suspects it came aboard inside a passenger's luggage and escaped during the two-hour flight from Brisbane to Melbourne.
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The snake, which is a protected species, has been given to a Melbourne veterinarian to find a home with a licensed snake keeper.
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Winnipeg Free Press
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- Winnipeg Free Press
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Canada News.Net
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Australian PM reaches China, focuses on business ties
BEIJING, China: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese started a weeklong visit to China over the weekend. The visit aims to revitalize economic relations and expand cooperation between the two nations. The trip marks a significant moment in the ongoing thaw in relations following years of diplomatic strain. Albanese's first official engagement was a meeting in Shanghai on July 13 with Chen Jining, the city's Communist Party Secretary. The meeting is the first in a series of high-level discussions, including planned talks with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People's Congress. "This is a very large business delegation, which underscores the significance of our economic relationship," Albanese said in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CGTN shortly after landing in Shanghai. During the visit, Albanese is expected to meet business, tourism, and sports leaders in Shanghai and Chengdu. On Tuesday, he will attend a CEO roundtable in Beijing, part of an effort to expand commercial dialogue and investment opportunities. One notable development so far has been the signing of an agreement between Chinese travel giant and Tourism Australia, aimed at boosting Chinese tourism to Australia. The deal reflects a mutual interest in reviving travel and people-to-people exchanges that were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is Albanese's second trip to China since his center-left Labor Party returned to power in 2022. The government was reelected with a stronger mandate in May, reinforcing its approach of steady engagement and pragmatic diplomacy with Beijing. Under Albanese's leadership, Australia has made significant progress in mending ties that had deteriorated during the tenure of the previous conservative administration. At the height of the tensions, Beijing had cut off ministerial communication and imposed a wide array of trade restrictions—both formal and informal—that severely affected Australian exporters, with estimated annual losses of more than 20 billion Australian dollars (US$13 billion). The diplomatic freeze was triggered by a range of contentious issues, most notably Australia's call for an independent international inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. Since taking office, however, Albanese has sought to rebuild trust while also reducing Australia's overreliance on its largest trading partner. "My government very much values our relationship with China," Albanese said during his meeting with Chen. "We engage calmly and consistently. It's in our national interest to have strong relations with China, and we will continue to pursue those interests constructively." Chinese state media echoed the positive tone. An editorial by Xinhua News Agency on Saturday described bilateral ties as "steadily improving" and gaining "fresh momentum." The visit is widely seen as an essential step in reinforcing economic ties while maintaining a careful balance between strategic independence and commercial cooperation. As Australia navigates a complex regional environment, Albanese's approach underscores a return to dialogue and diplomacy to manage one of the country's most critical relationships. "There are no fundamental conflicts of interest between China and Australia," the editorial stated. "By managing differences through mutual respect and focusing on shared interests, the two sides can achieve common prosperity and benefit."
National Post
02-07-2025
- National Post
Snake on a plane delays Australia flight as snake catcher summoned
MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian domestic flight was delayed for two hours after a stowaway snake was found in the plane's cargo hold, officials said on Wednesday. Article content The snake was found on Tuesday as passengers were boarding Virgin Australia Flight VA337 at Melbourne Airport bound for Brisbane, according to snake catcher Mark Pelley. Article content The snake turned out to be a harmless 60-centimetre green tree snake. But Pelly said he thought it could be venomous when he approached it in the darkened hold. Article content Article content '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. Article content Article content When Pelley entered the cargo hold, the snake was half hidden behind a panel and could have disappeared deeper into the plane. Article content Pelley said he told an aircraft engineer and airline staff that they would have to evacuate the aircraft if the snake disappeared inside the plane. Article content '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,' Pelley said. Article content 'But thankfully, I got it on the first try and captured it,' Pelley added. 'If I didn't get it that first time, the engineers and I would be pulling apart a (Boeing) 737 looking for a snake still right now.' Article content Pelley said he had taken 30 minutes to drive to the airport and was then delayed by security before he could reach the airliner. Article content Article content Article content Because the snake is native to the Brisbane region, Pelley suspects it came aboard inside a passenger's luggage and escaped during the two-hour flight from Brisbane to Melbourne. Article content The snake, which is a protected species, has been given to a Melbourne veterinarian to find a home with a licensed snake keeper. Article content
