TAP Air Portugal: Plane grounded as baggage handlers find 130 hamsters running around after gnawing through power cables
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They were found roaming around the cargo area of the plane after baggage handlers discovered their damaged cages when the flight touched down at an airport in Azores, Portugal. Workers have been desperately trying to round up the power cable-eating rodents.
The mass escape occurred on Tuesday (12 November) but 16 are still said to be on the loose. The hamsters were reportedly part of a delivery for a pet shop on the island which also included ferrets and some birds.
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Hide AdAuthorities began searching for them after passengers on board the plane disembarked and their luggage was removed. The mass break-out forced the flight to be grounded instead of continuing the journey to Lisbon where it had started its journey from.
Sources told a local newspaper that the animals had been accepted on the flight after being turned away from an earlier one because the cages “didn’t meet accepted standards". TAP Air Portugal, the airline operating the flight, has yet to make any official comment.
Pictures released by the airport staff show the rodents running around the plane. Workers can be seen wearing gloves to protect themselves from the animals’ sharp teeth. Hamster owners are advised to make sure all loose electrical wires and cords are tucked out of sight behind appliances or confined to areas where pets cannot get to them.
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