Vance watched their movements carefully.
Whatever had attracted them appeared to be inside the aircraft.
With the plane safely grounded, he investigated the cargo compartment. Behind ordinary freight, the crew discovered something nobody expected: a concealed collection of exotic bird eggs.
The eggs had allegedly been stolen from their natural environment and illegally packed for transportation.
Suddenly, the strange behavior outside made sense.
The birds weren’t simply attacking an aircraft.
They appeared to be responding to the presence of their young.
Continued on the next page
A Dangerous Discovery
What began as an aviation emergency had uncovered an entirely different problem.
The eggs were treated as contraband, and authorities were contacted. The illicit cargo was seized while specialists and wildlife rehabilitation teams worked to determine whether the eggs could survive.
