On 13 Nov, the crew of a Portuguese passenger plane discovered that 132 hamsters had broken out from their cages in the cargo hold.
Baggage handlers noticed that the cages containing the hamsters were damaged during the flight.
The little critters, originally meant as a delivery for a pet shop on the island of Azores, were believed to have chewed their way to freedom.
The ‘shipment’ of hamsters was reportedly scheduled for an earlier flight.
However, the rodents were denied entry due to the poor state of their cages.
Source: New York Post
Fearing that the rodents would chew through the plane’s electrical wires and damage critical systems, the plane was then grounded for five days during which a team began to search the plane.
The crew reportedly found all but 16 of the hamsters after scouring the plane’s nooks and crannies.
Pictures from the search show the crew sporting protective gloves as they handled the creatures.
Source: New York Post
On Monday (18 Nov), the plane departed Azores without passengers and headed to Lisbon. Once it landed, it underwent another thorough inspection.
TAP Air Portugal, the airline responsible for the aircraft, has yet to make an official statement regarding the incident.
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Featured image adapted from the New York Post.
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