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Squirrel On A Plane
Earlier today, pilots aboard an American Airlines flight traveling from Tokyo to Dallas heard unusual noises coming from the wires above the cockpit. According to John Hotard, AA's spokesman, "You do not want a varmint up in the wiring areas and what-have-you on an airplane. You don't want anything up there." Unsure what kind of varmint might be up in the what-have-you, the pilots decided to stop in Honolulu to investigate.
The varmint turned out to be an eastern gray squirrel. Neither AA nor the Agriculture Department can explain how the squirrel accessed the plane, though I'm suspicious it might have something to do with TSA's less than watchful eye.
In the end, the human passengers were provided hotel rooms and rebooked on other flights. The squirrel enjoyed a far less pleasant Hawaii visit, however. Fearing it may have been carrying rabies, authorities had the rodent killed.
[Photo: Terry Lea]
Filed under: Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
val Feb 13th 2008 1:44PM
Why the heck did they kill it? If they'd just quarantined it a week or so, they'd know it wasn't carrying rabies and could have set it free in a wooded area away from planes. Geez.
Russell Mar 16th 2008 11:14AM
Well since Squirrels are not native to the islands it would cause a whole host of problems to release it. Just look at the frogs and snakes that have been released or gotten out and you will see what i mean
Freeman Z Apr 2nd 2008 7:43AM
M-O-N-E-Y. They don't have any problem with killing when the alternative might require stretching their feeble minds.
Scott Feb 17th 2008 7:09AM
Rodents can't carry rabies.
Craig Feb 17th 2008 12:09PM
WRONG ANSWER......ANY MAMMAL CAN CARRY RABIES, EVEN THOUGH IT'S RARE IN SOME SPECIES!!!
Carmen Mar 16th 2008 11:51AM
you are wrong
rodents temp is to high for them to carry rabies
Freeman Z Apr 2nd 2008 7:43AM
Source, please.
FOR GAWD SAKES ...SOMEONE CITE A FREAKIN' SOURCE!
What a degenerate "debate!"
wah wah wah!
andiey Feb 21st 2008 5:55PM
Hello, Squirrels don't carry rabies. Someone needs to tell them instead of killing the poor little animals.
Next time call the Health Department. They're smarter than you are.
Kathy Lamandia Feb 22nd 2008 11:13PM
You have to take precautions when coming into contact with any type of creature, even your own pets. That's why they get shots. Quarantining the squirrel would not have been an option because if it had rabies, then everyone who was on the plane would have had to make sure to get medical treatment and a clean bill of health from their own doctors. I don't like the fact that the squirrel was killed, but I understand the reasoning. By the way squirrels can carry the bubonic plague.
Paxrail Feb 23rd 2008 12:06AM
Yep that's what Hawaii needs: another invasive foreign species released into the already severely altered habitats there, and one of the most destructive rodent species there is to boot.
DangerD Feb 24th 2008 3:05PM
Its an invasive species in Hawaii. There are no squirrels here that i know of and they don't invite new species of anything ever since the whole, " Hay lets use mongoose to kill the rats!" deal. Kind of funny because rats are nocturnal and mongoose are not. Smart "officials" we have here.
Lisa Feb 24th 2008 11:57PM
F-ing idiots! Squirrels DO NOT CARRY RABIES. How sad that the poor little thing was butchered needlessly. This breaks my heart. My family are squirrel-lovers. They are very friendly and trusting little animals.
Lisa Feb 25th 2008 12:02AM
Give me a break! When is the last time you heard of a squirrel causing bubonic plague? Also, killing the squirrel and testing it for rabies was very stupid. A dead animal may test negative for rabies ... which means nothing. If the disease is incubating, it would not show up as positive for several days to several weeks. It would have been wiser to keep the animal alive. Then again, non of this would make any difference because SQUIRRELS DO NOT CARRY RABIES.
Mike G Aug 6th 2008 9:55PM
"When is the last time you heard of a squirrel causing bubonic plague?"
Um, today?
http://www.cbs8.com/stories/story.136669.html
rufus Mar 5th 2008 2:29PM
YO, ANIMAL LOVERS, GET A FREAKING LIFE.
do you know most animals, dogs, cats, gerbals, gold fish, hamsters, ect all taste good after thet have been par-boiled and grilled?
john L Oct 6th 2008 10:35AM
Yo Rufus,
Do you realize that your comment tells us all what a F***ing A-hole YOU are?Stick your head in a pot and parboil the stupid out of it
Donna Mar 12th 2008 9:30AM
I believe there was a issue of the bubonic plague with squirrels and praire dogs ( previously named the barking squirrel by Lewis & Clark) which is a type of ground squirrel in the Denver, CO area.
ericshow08 Mar 11th 2008 8:31PM
Now that AA has "EXTERMINATED" a world reknown world traveler or Varmint as they called him...by the way his name was Arnold the squirell....he was obviously better known as secret agent 008..highly trained,experienced, traveled and technically adept at scaling tall buildings in a single leap, flying through the air and keeping our country safe from the TSA and a lot of it's thieving, lazy, and leeching of the world passengers employees...but acolades to AA for coming to the supposed rescue of our country by killing off a quiet cute little squirell...just one more of our "God's" creatures ..GONE..by some stupid corporations decision.....Right...It was just a squirell....a rodent..a "Varmint"...Screw American Airlines....Let's all BOYCOTT the airline..let's see what they think about that....There could have been a better decision to get the squirell off the plane out of the wiring (which could have been a real problem) but in today's world everything is getting out of hand....so why not this? Enough is Enough people....
maggiemay Mar 12th 2008 2:02PM
Makes me sick to hear they killed the squirrel & why to make it easier on them to get the flight going? What heartless idiots we have running things. Guess the squirrel had no tits & ass to flash the pilot!! Poor little guy.
PeachieGrrl Mar 14th 2008 11:53AM
i cant believe that those airlines people were so mean to kill the squirrel! its not like it was gonna do any harm it it had been left alive! how would they like it if there was an airline run by squirrels, with only squirrel passengers, and there was a human stowaway on the plane...then they killed the human because they could be carrying "rabies"? exactly, they wouldnt like it. so before people make fun of us "animal rights activists" for defending this cute little squirrel, they should think of the situation from the animal's point of view!