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 today. Twelve non-venomous Stimson pythons were being transported Tuesday on a flight from Alice Springs to Melbourne, but when the flight landed it was discovered the snakes had escaped the plane’s cargo area.
The snakes were in a bag inside a plastic foam box with air holes and stored in the cargo hold. A reptile expert searched for the 6-inch-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. The airplane was fumigated and returned to service yesterday. (More Australia stories.)