Pensaron que había explosivos en equipaje de pasajero, pero encontraron una serpiente

La Administración de Seguridad en el Transporte de Estados Unidos (TSA, por sus siglas en inglés) reportó que el pasado domingo una serpiente pitón fue encontrada dentro del equipaje de un pasajero que iba rumbo a Barbados.

El animal estaba envuelto en una media velada y había sido escondido dentro de un disco duro externo.

Cuando el equipaje estaba pasando por el escáner del aeropuerto internacional de Miami, funcionarios de la TSA advirtieron que había una "masa orgánica".

"Uno de nuestros expertos en bombas fue llamado a la sala de control de equipaje para investigar el interior del disco duro, y fue ahí cuando descubrió que la masa era una serpiente viva", explicó Sari Koshetz, vocera de la Administración de Seguridad en el Transporte, al Miami Herald.

Agent Neville Flynn would be extremely proud of our officers at the Miami International Airport (MIA). You see, Agent Flynn has HAD IT with snakes on planes, and our officers prevented a young Ball Python from flying the friendly skies this past Sunday. ... A traveler on her way to the Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) in Barbados attempted to smuggle the snakelet inside of an external hard drive packed in her checked bag. If you think airplane seats can feel constricting, imagine how this little guy felt! Talk about bad memories! … While the python itself posed no danger to anyone on the aircraft, an organic item concealed inside electronics raises security concerns, which is why our officers took a closer look. … The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ( @USFWS ) was notified. They responded and took possession of the snake and cited the traveler. Both the traveler and the snake missed their flight. … Conversationally, this python had not gone full monty. It was wearing a nylon stocking. … #SnakesOnPlane #SnakesAlmostOnAPlane #MIA #BGI #Miami #Barbados

Una publicación compartida por TSA (@tsa) el 9 de Jul de 2018 a las 3:25 PDT

El pasajero fue multado y no pudo viajar a su destino. El Servicio de Pesca y Fauna Silvestre de Estados Unidos se hizo cargo de la serpiente.

"Si bien la serpiente pitón en sí misma no representaba peligros para nadie dentro del avión, un elemento orgánico dentro de aparatos electrónicos genera preocupaciones de seguridad", explica la TSA, en un comunicado publicado en Instagram.

Al respecto, Koshetz dijo que la principal razón para evitar que la serpiente volara era prevenir una posible amenaza dentro del avión: "Se sabe que animales de muchas especies escapan y mastican los cables, con resultados fatales", precisó la vocera al Miami Herald.

No es la primera vez que las autoridades de Estados Unidos encuentran animales camuflados dentro de los equipajes. En enero de este año, por ejemplo, hallaron un gato de seis meses de edad en una maleta, en el aeropuerto internacional del condado de Erie.

An Erie International Airport (ERI) TSA Officer let the cat out of the bag this week. Literally. And the cat’s name is Slim. Slim’s owners packed her in their checked bag. While this could have been extremely dangerous for the 6-month old cat, Slim is just fine and is currently residing under the care of the Humane Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania. … No worries though if you’d like to travel with your pets. Here’s how! … Checkpoint Screening: … Check with your airline first to inquire about any fees and policies. … Your pet will need to be screened via checkpoint screening if it’s traveling with you in the cabin of the plane. … We do not X-ray pets. However, there have been many occasions where passengers have assumed their pet needed to go through the X-ray. You can imagine the surprise of the X-ray operator when they see Fluffy’s skeleton roll across their monitor. It is not an unusual occurrence. Your pet will need to come out of its carrier, so it is a good idea to know how your pet will react. Many a cat has gone into a feline frenzy after being removed from its carrier. An angry cat is never a good thing. … Even if your travel is “off the leash,” you should strongly consider keeping your pet on a leash. The checkpoint is a noisy environment that can cause your pet to flee at its first opportunity. This happens with humans occasionally as well. Your pet can be carried through the walk through metal detector or walked through on leash. If your pet triggers an alarm, one of our officers will have to take a closer look. Pets are not screened with the body scanners. … Checked Baggage: … If your pet is traveling in a kennel, your airline will arrange for a TSA Officer to screen the kennel. Officers will need to inspect your kennel/carrier for prohibited items with you present. Sometimes this can be done visually, but it’s good to have a leash handy in case the officer asks you to remove your pet from the carrier.

Una publicación compartida por TSA (@tsa) el 11 de Ene de 2018 a las 12:34 PST