Snakes on a plane with two parrots and a squirrel

A passenger has been arrested at Abu Dhabi airport after spending more than eight hours with a bag of snakes on a plane. The Saudi passenger was said to have been carrying four snakes, two parrots and a squirrel in his hand luggage.

He was caught at the first security checkpoint after arriving at Abu Dhabi International Airport on Etihad Airlines flight EY471 from Jakarta, which landed in the capital shortly before midnight on Thursday.



The animals were not licenced for international transport. They had no health certification, nor confirmation that they were not on any endangered list. Abu Dhabi police officials expressed surprise that the passenger had cleared security at Jakarta with the animals.

Khamis al Marar, the acting director general of security affairs and ports in Abu Dhabi, stressed that carrying animals on board is strictly prohibited. In this case, other passengers' safety was at risk, he said. He added that licenced animals had to travel in specially designed boxes, which should be stored in the aircraft's hold.