Flight in Australia Delayed After Snake Discovered on Board

A flight in Australia experienced an unusual delay this week after a snake was discovered in the cargo area of the aircraft. The incident occurred on a Virgin Australia flight scheduled to depart from Melbourne to Brisbane.

As passengers were boarding on Tuesday, a snake catcher named Mark Pelley was called to the scene after the reptile was found. The snake turned out to be a green tree snake, measuring approximately 60 centimeters (about two feet) in length. Although this type of snake is not venomous, at first it was unclear what species it was, leading to heightened caution.

Mr. Pelley described how he entered the darkened cargo hold and initially thought the snake might be dangerous. He explained that if the snake had managed to slip further into the panels of the plane, the entire aircraft would have needed to be evacuated to ensure the safety of passengers and crew. Fortunately, he was able to capture the snake on his first attempt, avoiding further complications.

Australia is known for being home to many of the world’s most venomous snakes, and this incident reminded many of the importance of vigilance and careful handling of such creatures. Mr. Pelley shared that had he not succeeded in capturing the snake promptly, the engineers might have had to dismantle parts of the aircraft to locate it.

The snake catcher recounted that it took him around 30 minutes to arrive at the airport, and he was further delayed by security procedures before being allowed to approach the plane.

An airline representative reported that the flight was delayed for approximately two hours due to the unexpected visitor.

The green tree snake is native to the Brisbane region, leading Mr. Pelley to suspect that it had entered the plane inside a passenger’s luggage during a previous flight from Brisbane to Melbourne and later escaped.

Due to strict quarantine regulations in Australia, the snake cannot simply be released back into the wild. Instead, it has been handed over to a veterinarian in Melbourne, who will arrange for it to be placed with a licensed snake caretaker.