The Random Yak

An Easter Sundayflightfrom Hanoi toJapan was delayed for several hours after passengers spotted a small white mouse running down the center aisle of the Boeing 777 jet. Vietnam Airlines officials delayed the flight until the intruder could be located (and killed) due to concerns that the mouse might get into vital flight systems, chew through a wire and bring down the plane.

Now I’m all for airline safety, as well as the general principle that free-range rodents don’t belong on passenger planes (unless they’re paying full fare, in which case they’re welcome to a seat). I’m also more than a little concerned, however, about the flight status of any plane which could be brought down by the determined in-flight activities of a single three-inch mouseling with an appetite for copper wiring. Last time I checked, they built jets with redundant systems to avoid just this sort of thing.

Of course, there’s always another, more environmentally consciousway to deal with the problem. But that involves…

(wait for it…)

…Snakes on a Plane.