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Passengers were shocked when their flight was delayed due to an escaped bear. An Iraqi Airways flight was transporting the bear from Dubai to Baghdad when it managed to break out of its crate as the grounds crew tried to load it into the cargo hold.
While the bear wandered around the runway, the grounds crew tried to corral it and get it back into its cage. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates had to dispatch a team of specialists to sedate the bear so it could be loaded onto the plane for its trip to the Iraqi capital.
The passengers were asked to disembark from the plane while the bear was sedated, resulting in an hour-long delay.
Iraqi Airways said that the bear was being transported in accordance with all applicable laws and International Air Transport Association standards.
According to The Guardian, the practice of keeping large wild animals as pets has become popular with wealthy Iraqis. Officials did not identify the owner of the bear.