Mice on a Plane

Reuters is reporting that this past Tuesday, Chinese inspectors found eight mice (dead and alive) on a United Airlines aircraft. The airline had reported the unwelcome stowaways to local quarantine officials upon landing in Beijing Sunday after a flight from Washington, D.C. The report prompted an "emergency team" to rush the aircraft to put rat poison and mouse traps at every possible corner of the aircraft including the cockpit. The inspectors said that eight mice were found (dead and alive) hidden in pillows onboard the aircraft. As would be expected, the media had a field day talking about the dozens of fatal viruses that the mice can spread and the risk posed from mice chewing through aircraft wiring and circuits. In a statement, United Airlines said, "We are taking this matter seriously and have begun a full investigation with the authorities to determine how this happened and ensure it is resolved." I have been to Washington, D.C. before, and I can't help but think that the passengers of that flight are lucky that it was mice that snuck onboard the flight and not some of those huge rats that scurry around D.C. at night.  You can read the entire Reuters article here. Thanks for reading. Joe Escobar