Latest news with #MarkPelley
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Snake on plane goes viral: ‘Obviously it's Australia' says Internet
A flight from Melbourne to Brisbane was recently delayed for nearly two hours after an unexpected stowaway, a green tree snake, was discovered inside the cargo hold just before takeoff. Cabin crew on the Virgin Australia flight quickly shut the cargo door, locking the reptile inside before calling for professional help. Snake catcher Mark Pelley, famously known as The Snake Hunter, was urgently called to the scene. 'I got a call from Virgin Australia. They said, 'There's a snake on a plane, can you come now?' I raced out there,' Pelley told Daily Mail Australia. Though he reached the airport in about 30 minutes, security protocols caused an additional delay. 'It took me about 30 minutes to get to the airport, then security took another 15 minutes to let me through,' he explained. By the time he was cleared, passengers were already on board, waiting on the tarmac as the situation was being resolved. The video of Pelley capturing the snake has since gone viral. Shared on Instagram by Daily Mail (@dailymail), the clip is captioned: 'Passengers on a Virgin Australia flight from Melbourne to Brisbane were delayed for nearly two hours, thanks to an unexpected stowaway. What's believed to be a green tree snake was discovered inside the cargo hold shortly before departure. Cabin crew spotted the reptile and quickly shut the cargo door, locking it inside before calling for assistance. Tap the link for the full story on The reel has already garnered 145K views. A post shared by Daily Mail (@dailymail) The unusual incident left social media users both shocked and amused. One user wrote, 'Wasn't there a movie about snakes on a plane?' Another wrote, 'How he got his boarding pass and passed security checks.' A third said, 'Obviously it's Australia.' Pelley explained the urgency of the task, saying, 'If I didn't get it on the first go, it could've escaped behind the panels and into the plane. So I had to rush and get it quickly. Thankfully, it didn't get too far.' It took him just 30 seconds to safely catch and secure the snake in a container. He later confirmed it was a green tree snake—a non-venomous species native to Queensland, where the plane had earlier arrived from. 'It's likely someone accidentally packed it in their luggage, and it got out during the flight,' he said. While the incident caused a delay, Pelley praised Virgin Australia's response. 'This kind of thing could happen anytime, anywhere in Australia. At no point were any passengers at risk,' he assured. The snake will be handed over to environmental authorities and is expected to be released back into the wild in Queensland. Though Pelley is no stranger to airport calls, this was a rare experience even for him. 'I've been called to the airport before, but never into the plane itself. I've dealt with brown snakes in offices, inside infrastructure and support buildings. Once, I even had to clear a snake off the runway. I had to drive my car onto the tarmac to remove it planes were delayed just to let me do my job,' he recalled.
The Sun
04-07-2025
- The Sun
Venomous snake bite wiped my memory – so I got to ‘meet' my girlfriend for a second time & fall in love all over again
A MAN who was bitten by a venomous snake and left with no memory of his girlfriend said he got to "fall in love" all over again. Mark Pelley unintentionally "ghosted" his now-wife Rebecca following the near fatal attack in Melbourne, Australia. 8 8 8 The snake hunter had just started dating his partner when he was bitten by a tiger snake and lost the ability to breathe. Unbeknown to his new love interest, he was rushed to hospital where he battled multiple organ failures and was left with temporary full retrograde amnesia. The condition causes individuals to lose the ability to recall memories or information from before an injury. Mark was reminded of his relationship when, after 10 days of not hearing from him, Rebecca texted him accusing him of "ghosting" her. The text read: 'Well if you don't want to talk to me anymore, you could have let me know.' The two then went on to 'fall in love all over again' and tied the knot this week. 'Before we met [again], I went through our texts so knew we were dating – and it was obvious in our messages how much I liked her,' Mark said. He added: 'I could see that I was chasing after her and she was playing a bit hard to get. 'When we met, I had to explain from the beginning how not only did I get bitten and get seriously injured, but I lost a huge part of my memory for a while and didn't remember her at all. 'I went through the whole ordeal and said 'I know from my journal notes that I'm in love with you, but I look at you right now and can't tell you a single thing about yourself or us. Gran, 55, found dead with head in the jaws of 23ft long python after she vanished while working in her garden 'I understand if that's too much to take in and because I don't remember you, it would be okay if you left'. 'Rebecca remained quiet for a bit and then said 'I look forward to making you fall in love with me all over again'.' Describing it as 'one of the most incredible moments' of his life, Mark said the moment he touched her hand again, he "instantly" felt love in his heart. He said: 'It shot from my palm of my left hand up my arm through my shoulder into my heart. What is amnesia? AMNESIA refers to the loss of memories, including facts, information and experiences, according to Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include, trouble learning new information and trouble remembering past events and previously familiar information. Most people with amnesia struggle with short-term memory and can't retain new information. Recent memories are most likely to be lost while ingrained memories may be spared. Individuals may recall experiences from childhood or know the names of past presidents. But they may not be able to name the current president, know the month or remember what they ate for breakfast. People with amnesia usually can understand written and spoken words and can learn skills such as bike riding or piano playing. They may understand they have a memory disorder. 'My heart recognised Rebecca even though my mind didn't. 'It was a very strange feeling love, but not know who I was in love with.' Rebecca said she felt 'awful' that she'd had no idea what was going on. She said: 'I don't watch the news so even though Mark's snake bite made headlines internationally, I was oblivious and thought he just stopped liking me.' Mark was bitten by the snake at a property in northern Melbourne after a piece of his equipment broke in March 2024. This was the first serious incident he had experience in his 14 years as a snake hunter. 8 8 8
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
Vancouver Sun
02-07-2025
- Vancouver Sun
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. 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. 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. '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. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Most of the world's most venomous snakes are native to Australia. When Pelley entered the cargo hold, the snake was half hidden behind a panel and could have disappeared deeper into the plane. 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. '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. '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.' Pelley said he had taken 30 minutes to drive to the airport and was then delayed by security before he could reach the airliner. An airline official said the flight was delayed around two hours. 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. For quarantine reasons, the snake can't be returned to the wild. The snake, which is a protected species, has been given to a Melbourne veterinarian to find a home with a licensed snake keeper. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
Ottawa Citizen
02-07-2025
- Ottawa Citizen
Snake on a plane delays Australia flight as snake catcher summoned
Article content 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 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 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 An airline official said the flight was delayed around two hours. 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
