Snake Delays Virgin Australia Flight from Melbourne

Melbourne, Jul 2 (AP) An Australian domestic flight experienced a two-hour delay after a hidden snake was discovered in the plane's cargo hold, according to officials on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday as passengers began boarding Virgin Australia Flight VA337, which was set to travel from Melbourne to Brisbane. The snake, identified by snake catcher Mark Pelley, was a 60-centimeter (2-foot) green tree snake, which is harmless. However, in the dim lighting of the cargo hold, Pelley initially thought the snake could be venomous.

"It wasn't until after I caught the snake that I realized it was not venomous. Up to that moment, it appeared very dangerous to me," Pelley explained. Notably, many of the world's deadliest snakes are found in Australia.

The green tree snake was partially concealed behind a panel and was at risk of slipping further into the aircraft. Pelley informed an aircraft engineer and airline staff about the potential need for an evacuation if the snake slipped away.

"I told them if I don't capture this snake on the first try, it might hide further in, and you may need to evacuate because I didn't initially know its type," Pelley stated.

Thankfully, Pelley was able to capture the snake on his first attempt. "If I hadn't managed on the first attempt, we might still be disassembling a 737 in search of the snake," Pelley added.

The snake catcher had to drive 30 minutes to the airport and faced delays due to security protocols before reaching the airliner. An airline official confirmed that the flight was delayed by approximately two hours.

As the snake is native to the Brisbane region, Pelley speculated that it might have entered the plane inside a passenger's luggage during its two-hour flight from Brisbane to Melbourne. Due to quarantine policies, the snake cannot be released into the wild.

Being a protected species, the snake has been handed over to a Melbourne veterinarian, who will seek a suitable home for it with a licensed snake keeper. (AP) GSP

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