News
Wayward wildlife on Florida runway
26 August 2008
Staff at Florida's Melbourne international airport had to clear some unexpected visitors off the runway last week following Tropical Storm Fay.
The storm washed four walking catfish, an alligator, a blue indigo snake and two gopher tortoises onto the working runway.
A special relocation area was used to return the tortoises to their natural habitat, while the fish and the snake were released in a nearby pond and the alligator escaped through a drainage ditch.
Fortunately, the catfish were able to survive the experience as they use their pectoral fins to move around on land and can breathe as long as their skin stays moist.
The unexpected visitors to the runway caused a slight delay to a Delta Airlines flight, but airport director Richard Ennis said that the main priority was ensuring the safety of passengers and of the animals.
'We all got soaked, but it was important to clear the runway to ensure passenger safety and to get the animals out of harm's way,' he told Fox News Orlando.
Opodo cheap flights, hotels and car hire - let the journey begin!
The storm washed four walking catfish, an alligator, a blue indigo snake and two gopher tortoises onto the working runway.
A special relocation area was used to return the tortoises to their natural habitat, while the fish and the snake were released in a nearby pond and the alligator escaped through a drainage ditch.
Fortunately, the catfish were able to survive the experience as they use their pectoral fins to move around on land and can breathe as long as their skin stays moist.
The unexpected visitors to the runway caused a slight delay to a Delta Airlines flight, but airport director Richard Ennis said that the main priority was ensuring the safety of passengers and of the animals.
'We all got soaked, but it was important to clear the runway to ensure passenger safety and to get the animals out of harm's way,' he told Fox News Orlando.
Opodo cheap flights, hotels and car hire - let the journey begin!
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