Crocodile Escapes on a Quantas Flight

Photo: Fayes4Art/Flickr

You’ve heard of snakes on a plane, but what about a crocodile? It sounds like the sequel to a ridiculous Hollywood movie, but this really did happen: A crocodile escaped from its cage on a Quantas flight and freely roamed the plane’s cargo hold for the duration of the flight, according to the Telegraph.

Yikes! And you thought that flying was scary because of the turbulence.

[OK, OK, We Know They're Not Crocodiles, but Watch Awesome Alligator Videos Now!]

The croc was being transferred from Brisbane to Melbourne when the breakout occurred. The good news is that the reptile never got out of the cargo hold, so the plane’s human passengers were never in any danger. In fact, the animal’s escape wasn’t discovered until unsuspecting baggage handlers found it lurking amongst the suitcases after the flight had already touched down. Luckily, all of the handlers’ limbs and digits remained attached as well.

Quantas still doesn’t know how the croc escaped, but it has launched an investigation.

“An incident involving a live animal in the cargo hold of a Qantas aircraft is being investigated,” airline spokeswoman Lauren Blank said in a statement. “The animal was quickly and safely secured when the aircraft arrived in Melbourne. The investigation is focusing on whether it had been loaded appropriately on delivery to Australian Air Express.”

Another bit of good news is that the crocodile was not a large one, only measuring to about 60 centimeters in length. Still, a finger could fit in that mouth.

Ironically, Quantas frequently lays claim to being “the world’s safest airline.” That slogan may now need to come with a caveat: so long as you stay out of the cargo hold.

By Bryan Nelson

It’s not about the animals. It’s about the way animals make us feel. Watch the latest Animal Planet videos and full episodes. Surprisingly Human.

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