Monkeys On A Plane

Ever seen the movie Snakes on a Plane? In the film, Samuel L. Jackson does battle with some agent of evil who is smuggling a great number of poisonous snakes on a commercial flight. The snakes get loose, and quite naturally, havoc ensues (along with some questionable computer animation).

Recently, a man from Peru managed to get a marmoset monkey onto a flight to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and then onto another flight to New York's LaGuardia airport. It was during the Florida to New York flight that the furry creature made its presence known to other passengers, climbing out from under the hat in which it was smuggled, and enjoying a bit of fresh air on the man's ponytail. No harm seems to have come from the incident. However, although the monkey was much less dangerous than a crate of poisonous snakes, it still raised concerns both real and hypothetical.

The real concern arose from the fact that this was a wild, exotic animal. There was the possibility that it was carrying bacteria of some kind that could be transmitted to humans. The Center for Disease Control became involved, and the marmoset was taken for examination and analysis.

The hypothetical concerns were even greater; if this wild, live, wriggling animal could be introduced undetected onto a commercial flight, what else could people manage to get onboard? In today's world, we are all too aware that innumerable people are looking for just this kind of gap in airport security, with much darker and more malicious intent than bringing exotic creatures in their carry-ons. Hopefully, this relatively harmless incident will serve to raise awareness among airport security workers and airline passengers that threats are still ever present, and we must all remain vigilant.