A video capturing eels slithering on the tarmac of Vancouver International Airport has gone viral following an incident involving an Air Canada Cargo shipment. The airport confirmed that the eels, part of a shipment from Toronto to Vancouver, spilt from their container on July 7 while unloading.
The video shows a broken box on a stationary conveyor belt. Eels approximately half a meter in length escape and drop to the ground. Approximately two dozen eels were found writhing on the tarmac.
Air Canada Cargo reported that the eels were quickly gathered and repackaged and that the company had contacted the customer regarding the incident. Tanya Crowell, a communications specialist at YVR, confirmed that the live eels were safely collected and repackaged following their accidental release during aircraft unloading.
While the specific cause of the container’s failure has not been disclosed, Air Canada emphasized that the spill was accidental and assured that airport operations remained unaffected. YVR’s media relations clarified that the incident did not disrupt the airport’s functioning.
Eels, elongated fish resembling snakes, typically inhabit shallow ocean waters, burrowing into sand. Predominantly carnivorous, their diet mainly consists of smaller fish, invertebrates, crustaceans, and insect larvae in freshwater environments. Unlike most fish, eels lack pelvic fins, and many species do not have pectoral fins.
