Alligator on the runway causes delay at Orlando International Airport

The brazen reptile was filmed taking a stroll across the tarmac

An alligator on the runway at Orlando International Airport was responsible for a delay to a Spirit Airlines flight yesterday.

Passenger Anothony Verladi said his plane had just landed when he spotted the large reptile bumbling across the tarmac towards a pond.

Velardi said that the flight was delayed for five minutes before it could taxi to the gate. He also confirmed that an airport truck arrived to ensure the alligator did not return to the runway.

A spokesperson for Orlando International Airport said that such sightings are rare, despite 110 hectares of the airport’s land being covered in water. She also stated that the alligator’s presence did not impact on any other airport operations.

A 2009 study conducted by Gene Rhodes at Purdue University, which examined the ease with which animals gained access to 10 small Indiana airports, cited previous research which showed that wildlife strikes by aircraft cost more than half a billion dollars every year and have been responsible for more than 350 human deaths.

Other unusual runaway trespassers include:

Turtles in New York

In 2011, migrating diamondback turtles shut down a runway at JFK airport in New York. More than 150 turtles crossed over the active runway in their mission to find a sandy area to lay their eggs. The turtle migration is an annual event at the airport, which is surrounded by a bay and wetland area.

Hares in Milan

A drove of hares invaded Linate Airport in Milan in 2007 causing flights to be suspended. Airport officials were baffled by the sharp increase in the number of hares in the area. Nearly 60 hares were eventually rounded up and returned to nature reserves nearby.

Bees in Manila

A plague of bees delayed flights and affected operations at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport in 2011. The bees swarmed the five boarding tubes and delayed the disembarkation process before being cleared by powerful vacuum cleaners and smoke generators.

Otters in Houston

Two wily otters made a bid for freedom at Houston’s Bush International Airport in 2009. The otters, who were supposed to be safely secured in their holding cages, managed to escape, running down the gangplank and across the tarmac. It took airport officials 45 minutes to locate the otters before the flight could depart.

Monitor lizards in Delhi

A family of monitor lizards, jackals and raptors descended upon New Delhi’s main runway in 2008 causing major delays to flights. It was thought that the animals were looking to warm up and dry off after monsoon rains hit the capital.