Swiss cheese fails to lure mouse off plane in Zurich
A Swiss plane has been grounded at Zurich airport after a mouse was discovered on board shortly before take-off. Traps laden with Swiss cheese failed to attract the stowaway rodent.
Speaking on Monday, a spokesman for the SAirGroup said a mouse had been seen in the cockpit of a Balair Boeing 767 an hour before it was due to take-off on Sunday.
The spokesman said a mouse-catcher had immediately been dispatched to try and track it down, but was unable to find it. Mousetraps filled with tempting Swiss cheese also failed to draw the elusive rodent from its hiding place.
The airline was eventually forced to resort to the drastic measure of gassing the unfortunate stowaway.
The airline spokesman said the mouse had to be removed because of the danger that it might chew through cables.
He added that rodents had found their way on board aircraft before, and a cat had been brought in to solve the problem.
swissinfo with agencies
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