Harmless green tree snake disrupts Australian flight

On July 1, 2025, an unexpected incident unfolded at Melbourne Airport, Australia, when a snake was discovered inside the cargo hold of Virgin Australia Flight VA337. Passengers were in the process of boarding the aircraft, which was scheduled to fly to Brisbane, when airline staff alerted authorities to the presence of the reptile. The snake catcher Mark Pelley was called to the scene to manage the situation, but before he could take action, the unknown creature’s identification raised concerns among the crew. Given the darkness of the cargo hold, Pelley believed at first that the snake could potentially be venomous, which led him to prepare for evacuation procedures in case the creature became unmanageable. Thankfully, upon further inspection and after successfully capturing the snake, Pelley identified it as a 60-centimeter green tree snake, which is completely harmless to humans. It is speculated that the snake had stowed away in a passenger’s luggage during a previous flight from Brisbane to Melbourne and was only discovered when the plane was readied for its next journey. As a direct consequence of the incident, the flight experienced an extensive delay of two hours. The snake catcher explained the complications involved in capturing the snake safely, emphasizing that if he had not managed to secure it on his first attempt, the process could have required dismantling parts of the aircraft and potentially evacuating all passengers. The green tree snake, while harmless, is part of a larger context concerning Australia’s wildlife, where many of the world’s most venomous snakes are native. Following the incident, and due to quarantine regulations, the snake was unable to be returned to the wild, indicating this does not only affect flight schedules but also the management of native species in urban environments.