A bear escapes from the hold of a plane in Dubai, causing delays at one of the world's busiest airports

A bear was the cause of an Iraqi Airways flight being delayed for at least an hour in its departure to Baghdad. The animal, which was being transported in the aircraft's cargo hold, escaped before it took off from Dubai airport, one of the busiest airfields in the world.

At that time, the crew coordinated with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates, who sent a specialized team to sedate the animal and safely remove it from the aircraft.. After checking the plane and confirming that there was no damage, the flight returned to Baghdad.

For his part, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, has ordered the country's Transport Minister to open an “urgent and professional investigation” into the reasons, “which negatively affected other flights and the services provided to travelers “, can be read on their social networks.

As explained by the company in a statement, the animal was flying from Baghdad to Dubai. However, in a video circulating on social media, a crew member is heard suggesting otherwise, stating that the plane was an hour late on its journey to Baghdad and passengers had been asked to disembark until the problem would be solved.

Iraqi Airways assured that the bear was being transported in accordance with international procedures approved for this type of shipment, in a specific cage approved by the International Air Transport Association (IATA, for its acronym in English).

Following the incident, the airline apologized to the passengers on the flight who were affected by the delay “for reasons beyond the control” of the company.

Wild animals

Keeping wild animals as pets in Iraq, especially in Baghdad, has become popular among the wealthy. Authorities have had difficulty enforcing legal provisions protecting wild animals. On another occasion, the Baghdad police have asked citizens to help the authorities to prevent these animals from being released through the streets of the city or ending up as exotic food in restaurants by reporting these cases.