40-Pound Wolverine Chews Through Metal Cage, Almost Runs Amok Inside Newark Airport
Officials at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were in for some unexpected wildlife action at the airport premises on Wednesday. According to NY Daily News, a live cargo in the form of an European Wolverine was on the verge of creating havoc at the airport after it managed to chew through the metal cage it was being transported in.
According to the NY Post, the wolverine was in transit from Norway to Alaska when the layover at Newark almost went awry. Authorities added that the wolverine was an alpha male (read: very aggressive) that weighed in at a hefty 40 pounds. During the long flight from Norway to Newark, the animal had managed to chew through its metal cage. And by the time it landed, the hole was nearly big enough for it to make a dash.
According to Joe Pentangelo from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police, the wolverine was on its way to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. A worker noticed a hole in the metal carrier that the animal was locked in at around 3:30 p.m., when attempts were made to move the cage to another aircraft. While the hole created by the wolverine was fairly big, it wasn’t large enough for him to escape through it. However, thanks to the aggressiveness of the agitated wolverine, it became nearly impossible for the authorities to continue the trip. With several attempts to transfer the wolverine to another cage failing, authorities were left with no option other than hiring the services of a veterinarian from the Bronx Zoo. He walked in with a tranquilizer dart. After multiple attempts, the veterinarian managed to bring the wolverine under control and docile enough to safely transport it to a stronger cage.
The agitated animal was then moved to another cage, after which a plane carrying the agitated cargo took off for Denver. From there, another flight will take the animal to its final destination in Alaska.
While the name “Wolverine” might have immediately brought pictures of Hugh Jackman and X-Men to your minds, the fact is that Jackman’s character in the movie has been inspired from real-life wolverines. And why not? As you might have already noticed, Wolverines are extremely aggressive creatures that can even chew through metal cages.
Morphologically similar to weasels, Wolverines are usually found in cold regions near the Arctic circle. They are widely scattered across Alaska and Scandinavia. Even though they are aggressive, Wolverines mostly find their food by scavenging.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons]
