High-flying frog stows away in in-flight salad
WELLINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - An airline passenger was given a nasty fright when a frog with a taste for adventure stowed away in her in-flight salad, New Zealand authorities said on Tuesday.
The passenger discovered the airborne amphibian perched on a slice of cucumber while on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Wellington in February.
“Naturally there was a bit of consternation by the passenger who called back the attendant,” Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry quarantine general manager Fergus Small said.
The flight attendant removed the salad and the 4 cm (1.6 inch) whistling tree frog, which was killed by quarantine staff when the aircraft landed.
While frogs had been known to hitch rides in the cargo holds of aircraft, it was the first time the Quarantine Service was aware of one being found in a meal, Small said.
Qantas was not immediately available for comment but a spokesman told The New Zealand Herald newspaper the airline had since changed its lettuce supplier and introduced “additional procedures into the salad supply process.”
