Plane grounded for four days after 132 hamsters escape on board a Lisbon flight
The IndependentSign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A TAP Air Portugal plane was grounded for four days after over 130 hamsters broke loose inside the cargo hold and ran riot as they evaded capture from airport staff, according to local reports. The rodent escapees had been on a passenger flight from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island, part of the Portuguese Azores, on Wednesday 13 November, and were due to be delivered to a pet store along with ferrets and caged birds, airline sources told the Portuguese daily newspaper Correio da Manhã. When airport staff at Ponta Delgada Airport started to unload the pet transport boxes from the plane, they realised that the ones meant to contain the hamsters were damaged and empty. The TAP Air Portugal plane reportedly had to be grounded for safety reasons while staff got to work to try to find all 132 hamsters.
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