“Upon arrival to Dubai Airport, the animal escaped the crate specified for its shipment,” said the airline.
On Saturday a video taken by ground staff appeared on social media of the bewildered bear peering through the cargo hold door.
Initially thought to have arrived from Baghdad reporting by AP suggested that the animal was being transported from the UAE back to the Iraqi capital, where the animals are highly prized as pets.
Iraqi Airways did not comment on who the animal belonged to, or why it was being transported. The statement said that the bear was being transported in compliance with animal welfare guidelines.
The plane was inspected for damage, delaying the return service IA124 by four hours.
Exotic pets on a plane
This is not the first time an animal has escaped its enclosure in a plane, but a bear roaming wild in the cargo hold has caused alarm for all. Not least because it has raised questions about the ownership and transport of exotic animals as pets.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, declined to comment.
On Sunday, Iraq’s prime minister ordered an investigation into how the animal bear came to escape from its crate on the Boeing 737-800.
An Iraqi Airways official confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday (local time) that the bear was, in fact, being transported from Dubai to the Iraqi capital.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorised to speak about the matter publicly, declined to name the animal’s owner.
Keeping predatory animals as pets in Iraq — especially in Baghdad — has become popular among the wealthy.
Authorities have struggled to enforce legal provisions to protect wild animals.
Baghdad’s police has previously called on citizens to assist authorities in preventing such animals from being let loose on the city’s streets or ending up as exotic meals in restaurants by reporting such cases.
- With AP reporting
