Slithering stowaway holds up Australian domestic flight

• A Virgin Australia flight from Melbourne to Brisbane was delayed for two hours on Tuesday after a snake was discovered in its cargo hold.
• Snake catcher Mark Pelley was called to remove the reptile, which he initially feared could be venomous.
• The snake was identified as a harmless 60-centimetre green tree snake, a protected species.
• Mr Pelley said that a failed capture attempt would have necessitated evacuating the aircraft and potentially dismantling parts of it to find the snake.
• The snake is suspected to have boarded the plane in a passenger's luggage from Brisbane and will be placed with a licensed snake keeper due to quarantine regulations.

IN FULL

Snake on a plane delays flight in Australia