Smuggled animals roamed loose on a flight, freaking out passengers — and it's all because an employee didn't check a bag
Boeing
- Animals were found on board a flight from Thailand to Taiwan.
- Bangkok Post reported two passengers had smuggled the animals after a security worker failed to open their bag.
- A wildlife inspection chief said that the animals found included 20 Burmese star tortoises and two otters.
Animals roamed loose on a flight from Thailand to Taiwan on Wednesday, the local newspaper Bangkok Post reported.
Two passengers had smuggled the animals past security at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport and brought them on the VietJet Air flight to Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, per Bangkok Post.
In a video posted by metro.co.uk and credited to Viralpress, a small, brown-colored animal was shown rolling around underneath a seat on the plane. Several passengers were shown standing up on their seats to get away from the animal.
"Is that a rat? I don't think it's a rat. Looks like illegal animal trading," a passenger can be heard saying in Thai.
Later in the video, three flight attendants appear to be tying a black bag to keep an animal inside. At the end of the video, several men wearing white uniforms were shown placing pet carriers onto airport trolleys. A white animal with red eyes could be seen moving inside one of the cages.
A passenger first noticed an animal on board while walking to the lavatory, per Bangkok Post, citing witness reports. A flight attendant's finger got bitten after he caught the animal, per the report.
After arriving in Taipei, airport authorities found dozens of animals inside the bag, including 20 Burmese star tortoises and two otters, Suvarnabhumi Airport's wildlife inspection chief Pakpong Pathong told Bangkok Post.
A female passenger said she was responsible for the animals when the flight attendants asked for the owner to make themselves known, per Bangkok Post. But the woman refused to collect the bag at the passenger area when the plane landed, per the report. She has since been questioned by Taiwan authorities.
The woman and another male passenger smuggled the animals onto the plane after an employee at the baggage screening area didn't open their bag, despite a coworker telling him it looked suspicious, per the Bangkok Post. The employee has since been suspended, per the report.
VietJet Air, Suvarnabhumi Airport, and Taiwan's Aviation Police Bureau did not immediately respond to requests for comment.