In a shocking incident, a bear escaped from its crate in the cargo hold of an Iraqi aircraft as it was due to depart from Dubai Airport. According to reports, the incident occurred on Friday when an Iraqi Airways flight was about to take off from Dubai International Airport-- one of the world's busiest aerodromes. This resulted in a delay in in-flight services. Several videos, which are doing rounds on the internet, show passengers disgruntled over the delay and caused a stir on social media.
Meanwhile, the airline downplayed the incident and said it should not be blamed for the chaos as the aircraft’s crew worked with authorities in the United Arab Emirates, which dispatched specialists to sedate the animal and remove it from the plane. However, a social media video, showed the plane’s captain apologizing to passengers for the delay because of the bear’s escape from its crate in the cargo hold.
Airlines claims all norms followed
The airline further claimed that procedures to transport the bear were carried out in accordance with the law and with procedures and standards approved by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
According to Iraqi Airways, the bear was being flown from Baghdad to Dubai. But a person speaking on the video clip making the social media rounds suggested otherwise, saying the aircraft was an hour late for its trip to Baghdad and that passengers were being asked to disembark until the issue was resolved. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to speak about the matter publicly, declined to name the animal’s owner.
PM orders investigation
Keeping predatory animals as pets in Iraq, especially in Baghdad, has become popular among the wealthy. Authorities have struggled to enforce legal provisions to protect wild animals. Baghdad’s police have previously called on citizens to assist authorities in preventing such animals from being let loose on the city’s streets or ending up as exotic meals in restaurants by reporting such cases. Amid the chaos in social media, the Iraqi prime minister has ordered an investigation into how the animal escaped the flight.
