The two insects found on Tuesday at Seychelles International Airport and forced officials to shut down the cargo area for tests have proven not to be dangerous.
Based on the information gathered and a preliminary analysis carried out on two insects deemed to be a hazard for Seychelles, results showed that the they were two male bush crickets, a creature that is not dangerous as opposed to locusts as previously thought.
A flight that led to the scare was carrying goods for five importers who were bringing 32 varieties of fruits and vegetables to Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. Among the goods was frozen processed pork meat.
“The two insects were intercepted on the Turkish Airlines TK 748 coming from Turkey and arriving in Seychelles on Tuesday July 20 at around 11.05,” the chief executive of the National Biosecurity Agency (NBA), Marc Naiken, told a press conference.
“While documents were being verified by NBA officers, an officer from Air Seychelles discovered and caught an insect that was jumping on a box of watermelon. The insect looked like a locust,” added Naiken.
According to reports, another similar insect seen flying in the cargo terminal was also caught and placed in a container to prevent it from escaping.
Naiken highlighted that the health official was informed about the incident and action was urgently taken to disinfect the whole area to avoid other insects from escaping.
“The health authority was notified and a decision was taken to fog the entire area to ensure that no other insect that might have gotten into the cargo area from escaping. A buffer area was also fumigated,” Naiken said.
Additionally, to avoid further operations which include unloading of cargo on the day of the incident, Air Seychelles notified all airlines coming in that the cargo area was subsequently closed.
The next morning officers went to the cargo area at 6.00 a.m. to verify if there were any more insects. After a thorough inspection, the perishable goods were released.
“Once we caught the insect, our staff started working to identify the insect so as to have a preliminary identification, which was needed to help us know what risks it could have posed if any had escaped.
“This kind of insect feeds on other insects as well as tender grass. It lives in the Mediterranean area. We will be sending a sample to our regional partners to do a confirmation analysis,” said Naiken.
Naiken indicated that according to biosecurity laws, it was captain of the plane’s responsibility to thoroughly do their job making sure that the airplane do not bring problems that negatively affect the nation’s economy and ecology.
“The onus is on the captain of the airplane to ensure that they do not bring in any pest, insects or disease that will have an adverse effect on the economy or ecology of the country.”
“Any action taken will be directed towards the airline as they were the ones who accepted the goods. They will be the one to deal with the border control in Turkey for not doing their jobs properly.”
Photo: courtesy – businessairportinternational
By Joyce Mukucha
