Snakes on a Plane!

A Qantas airliner was grounded after four snakes went missing from the cargo hold on a passenger flight from Alice Springs to Melbourne, according to officials. Twelve baby pythons were packed on the Boeing 737-800 in the outback town on Tuesday, but when it arrived in Australia's second biggest city there were only eight, Qantas said in a statement.<br /> (AFP/File/David Hancock) You’re in a 200-foot aluminum tube and you’re 30,000 feet in the air. Action:

Four baby pythons escaped from a container aboard a passenger plane in Australia, leading to a search that forced the cancellation of two flights, the airline said Thursday. Twelve non-venemous Stimson pythons were being transported Tuesday on a flight from Alice Springs to Melbourne in the plane’s cargo area in a bag inside a plastic foam box with air holes.

When the flight landed, it was discovered that four snakes had escaped from the package, a Qantas spokeswoman said in a statement.

A reptile expert searched for the 6-inch (15-centimeter) -long snakes but did not find them. It was not known if the snakes were still on the plane or if they had somehow escaped outside after the plane landed.

Insert your favorite movie quote here.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Boyd says:

    As I understand it, the airline ended up fumigating the plane…twice…so if the little guys didn’t make it off the aircraft beforehand, they’re goners now.

  2. Michael says:

    Hey, this gives me an idea of how to thwart piracy!

  3. G.A.Phillips says:

    Baby pythons are kool!

  4. Bithead says:

    Q:What smells really bad if you’re traveling?

    A; Sneaks on a plane.

    (Ducking)