130 escaped hamsters forced a plane in Portugal to be grounded for five days.
The rodents were found wandering around cargo areas of the plane by baggage handlers at an airport in Azores after breaking free from the cages they were being kept in.
The escape occurred on Tuesday, but workers are still in the process of trying to round up those still on the loose, with 16 still unaccounted for.
The hamsters had been part of a delivery bound for a bet shop which also included ferrets and parrots.
Authorities began the search after a baggage handler found one whilst removing luggage shortly after landing.
The flight which was due to return to Lisbon has been grounded, with hamster roaming the aircraft making it unsafe to fly.
Sources told a local newspaper that the animals had been accepted on the flight after being turned away from an earlier one because the cages “didn’t meet accepted standards”
Hamster teeth are known to be extremely sharp and are said to be stronger than metals such as iron and copper
They have a fondness for chewing on wires and cables, making their presence onboard a flight all the more danger, given that modern day aircraft contain thousands of such things.
TAP Air Portugal, the airline operating the flight, has yet to make any official comment.
Hamster owners are told to keep the popular pets out of sight and behind appliances or confined to areas they cannot reach to ensure they cannot access them if they attempt a successful domestic escape.
