![Bear breaks out from a container in the cargo hold of an Iraqi Airways flight from Baghdad to Dubai [@IraqiNews_com/Twitter]](jpg/bear-in-plane-e1691417104899ab1d.jpg)
An Iraqi Airways plane travelling from Baghdad to Dubai was delayed on Friday, after a bear escaped from its crate in the cargo hold on Friday at Dubai International Airport.
In a statement, Iraqi Airways said: "The company apologises to the passengers of the flight from Baghdad International Airport to Dubai Airport for reasons beyond the control of the company, regarding a shipment in the cargo hold."
"Upon arrival to Dubai Airport, the animal escaped the crate specified for its shipment," the airline said, adding that the animal was being transported in line with international animal welfare guidelines: "The plane crew co-ordinated with UAE's authority who sent a specialised team to sedate the animal and take it off the plane."
On Saturday a video clip went viral on social media, appearing to show an airline worker calmly stroking the head of the bewildered brown bear while it was in the hold.
Bear breaks out from a container in the cargo hold of an Iraqi Airways flight from Baghdad to Dubai – https://t.co/5KJeGp3orA pic.twitter.com/HicKz2An0H
— Iraqi News (@IraqiNews_com) August 5, 2023
According to AP, citing an anonymous airline official, the animal was in fact being transported from the UAE to the Iraqi capital, where exotic animals are highly prized as pets among wealthy elites, as is the case in the Emirates, while a man on a video circulating on social media can be heard saying the flight was being delayed in Dubai as it was making its way to Iraq. However, Iraqi Airways have not commented on who the animal belonged to, or why it was being transported.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has since ordered an investigation into the matter, tasking Transport Minister Razzaq Al-Saadawi to lead the probe. "A malfunction in an aircraft of Iraqi Airways was reported to the Prime Minister's office by the office of the Prime Minister," Iraq's prime minister's office said.
"The Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Transportation to conduct an urgent and professional investigation into the causes of the malfunction, which adversely affected the aircraft's performance, flights, and passenger services."
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