The 747 had more than 2,000 of the animals on-board as it headed for Kuala Lumpur. During the flight “the crew received a warning from the onboard fire alarm system.”
The pilots and crew believed there was smoke and possibly a fire in the cargo hold.
Uhh, not quite.
When the huge jet made an emergency landing workers found methane gas from the obviously well-fibered animals was the culprit.
A Singapore Airlines representative explained, “The aircraft landed at 5:11 p.m. local time and upon inspection, no evidence of fire or smoke was found.” After a short airing out of the compartment, “the aircraft was certified serviceable and departed at 8.20 p.m. local time."
The Mirror writes, "The Merck Veterinary Manual says that bloat and associated flatulence is a common problem with ruminants like cattle and sheep and can be brought on by stress."
It’s easy to believe flying in a cargo hold with a couple thousand other goats could cause a little anxiety. But the blog explains things could have been worse, for the goats.
"Animals suffering from bloat not observed closely, usually are found dead,” the page explained.
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