700 Snakes Found On Thai Airways Flight

[george]

Snakes on a (Thai Airways) plane

BANGKOK: -- Vietnamese airport officials in Hanoi discovered 700 snakes labeled "live fish" on a flight from Bangkok, according to Australia’s News Limited.

"The snakes were alive when they were found in the cargo," a quarantine officer at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport told News Limited.

"Seven hundred snakes were later destroyed when no one claimed ownership."

The container was found on a Thai Airways International flight TG 682, the daily morning flight from Bangkok to Hanoi.

--Bangkok Post 2007-12-22

[Goshawk]

[whimsy]

[steffi]

It is interesting that they "destoyed" them though. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have done that if they had been found in Thailand.

[plachon]

It is interesting that they "destoyed" them though. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have done that if they had been found in Thailand.

What they failed to mention no doubt was that after destruction, they were handed out amongst airport customs workers as a tasty take home bonus for good work and vigilance. Viets like snake snacks as much as the next man in Thailand. Hanoi and every town in Vietnam has a live snake section (sometimes alongside man's best friend) and they seemed to be a popular food when I visited many moons ago.

What I would like to know is were they destined for the food market in Thailand or the pet market (perhaps for onwards distribution to third countries)? Whatever, it's unlikely anybody sending live fish is not going to leave a paper trail and contact details which will be very easily be able to trace in Vietnam and Thailand and if nobody turned up to claim them, then anonymity payments have already been paid..................

[PhilHarries]

What I would like to know is were they destined for the food market in Thailand or the pet market (perhaps for onwards distribution to third countries)?

As they were on a Bangkok to Ha Noi flight it is more likely they were destined for Vietnamese dining tables where, as pointed out, they ended up anyway.

[Ricardo]

700 snakes found on a plane ?

1. I didn't know you could fit that many politicians onto one aircraft !

2. TG's in-flight catering trials new ethnic menus !

I just hope this container wasn't destined for somewhere else - and got onto the wrong flight - as used to happen to my bags regularly, down in Africa. Some perfectly-legal snake-importer is looking at a tank of tub-tim right now, wondering what happened, to his shipment !

[Heng]

Nah, animal smuggling is rife and super profitable. People used to approach us all the time trying to get us to help them move CITES protected/monitored arrowanas mixed in with shipments of legit pet fish back in my fish export days. We of course declined.

p.s. cargo isn't like baggage, much easier to track down the owner of the consignment with each shipment having a unique air waybill #. Also, you don't just drop off cargo like a backpacker or TEFL'er selling counterfeit soccer jersies or Diesel belts/wallets on eBay going to the local post office (not that that's anonymous either... just look for the most fidgety folks in the post office) , you're well identified before you can ship your goods out.

Edited December 22, 2007 by Heng

[mbkudu]

What I would like to know is were they destined for the food market in Thailand or the pet market (perhaps for onwards distribution to third countries)?

As they were on a Bangkok to Ha Noi flight it is more likely they were destined for Vietnamese dining tables where, as pointed out, they ended up anyway.

This shows that many people don't bother to read carefully.

[ignis]

Hope were from Thailand = 700 less here

[egg]

Snakes on a (Thai Airways) plane

BANGKOK: -- Vietnamese airport officials in Hanoi discovered 700 snakes labeled "live fish" on a flight from Bangkok, according to Australia’s News Limited.

"The snakes were alive when they were found in the cargo," a quarantine officer at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport told News Limited.

"Seven hundred snakes were later destroyed when no one claimed ownership."

The container was found on a Thai Airways International flight TG 682, the daily morning flight from Bangkok to Hanoi.

--Bangkok Post 2007-12-22

did any escape on the plane ,,,, I'm due to fly on Thai Air on monday ,,,, hope l dont get the same plane

[NaiGreg]

" ... discovered 700 snakes labeled "live fish" on a flight from Bangkok ..."

nguu-nguu-plaa-plaa

[MrSnrang]

Did this guy take care of the situation? XD

[lazeeboy]

700 less snakes pleases me..

[geriatrickid]

700 less snakes pleases me..

It also pleases the vermin that snakes usually feed upon. If these were wild habitat snakes, then you can be assured that some village somewhere is being over run by rats and insect pests, or if it's a farmer the poor guy has to go buy lots of expensive Poison.

[Tony Clifton]

How many snakes does it take to change a lightbulb?

None.

Police stations are fitted with fluorescent lighting.

[John K]

Talk about compounding phobias.... fear of snakes, fear of flying, fear of mislabeled documents...

[raro]

"Seven hundred snakes were later destroyed when no one claimed ownership."

--Bangkok Post 2007-12-22

biggest bullsh1t I ever heard! Also drug smugglers rarely claim ownership when their contraband is discovered...

p.s. cargo isn't like baggage, much easier to track down the owner of the consignment with each shipment having a unique air waybill #.

exactly my point! The freight forwarder should know where they picked the cargo up...

[farang2002]

It is interesting that they "destoyed" them though. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have done that if they had been found in Thailand.

What they failed to mention no doubt was that after destruction, they were handed out amongst airport customs workers as a tasty take home bonus for good work and vigilance. Viets like snake snacks as much as the next man in Thailand. Hanoi and every town in Vietnam has a live snake section (sometimes alongside man's best friend) and they seemed to be a popular food when I visited many moons ago.

What I would like to know is were they destined for the food market in Thailand or the pet market (perhaps for onwards distribution to third countries)? Whatever, it's unlikely anybody sending live fish is not going to leave a paper trail and contact details which will be very easily be able to trace in Vietnam and Thailand and if nobody turned up to claim them, then anonymity payments have already been paid..................

You can bet at the least the snakes will wind up coiled in a bottle full of liquor and stashed on the shelves of tourist shops.

[Kan Win]

" ... discovered 700 snakes labeled "live fish" on a flight from Bangkok ..."

nguu-nguu-plaa-plaa

Could they have been mistaken for “Eels” and did they really count all 700 of them?

Yours truly,

Kan Win