Mandarin Rat Snake © snakecollector
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It’s reassuring to know that airline employees are on guard, protecting passengers from snakes, but that may have been cold comfort to hundreds of passengers who were stranded in Sydney when a Mandarin Rat Snake was discovered on the plane they were about to board.
Though the snake was harmless to humans, the plane had to be inspected and fumigated before being allowed to fly again in case more of the snakes were hiding in the aircraft. Australia takes invasive species very seriously and therefore agricultural officials were taking all necessary measures to prevent the foreign snakes from getting loose in the country. No doubt Indiana Jones would approve of these precautions.
A replacement flight to Japan departed the following morning. Find out more about this from BBC News