A raccoon was spotted running through baggage claim at a Philadelphia airport — here are 9 times animals surprised travelers

As travelers at Philadelphia International Airport waited for their bags in July of this year, they saw a raccoon enter the baggage chute and run down the ramp as the conveyor belt started moving.

WPVI-TV reported that the raccoon scurried along the luggage carousel before hiding under a vending machine. 

Although airport spokespeople didn't confirm if they caught the raccoon after setting humane traps for the animal, the creature may have left the airport on its own.

A moose made the unfortunate choice to roam the grounds of a Connecticut airport in 2023. 

After entering the high-traffic area around Bradley International Airport this past June, officials of the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection told Insider that it posed a public safety concern.

Moose don't tend to be aggressive but animal experts say they can pose a safety risk if they become agitated or are harassed by groups of people or traffic. Moose that feel threatened can be unpredictable when wandering into populated areas and it's recommended to avoid approaching the wild animal.

Environmental officials said they had to euthanize the moose. The airport's spokeswoman told the Associated Press that officials are on constant alert for wildlife in the area and any risk they may pose, including "comprehensive strategies to ensure that the airport is prepared to handle any wildlife-related situations."

In June of this year, Miami International Airport customs officials said they heard chirping sounds emanating from a cooler they were set to inspect. When they opened the temperature-controlled case, they found 29 eggs, some of which were beginning to hatch.

Smithsonian Magazine reported the man attempting to smuggle the eggs from Nicaragua to Taiwan claimed not to know what kinds of birds he had in his possession.

As the featherless chicks emerged, Paul Reillo — a zoologist, Florida International University conservationist, and founding director of the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation — set up an incubator to care for them.

The surviving 24 birds were identified as three red-lored Amazons and 21 endangered yellow-naped Amazons. The Palm Beach Post reported that as of June, the birds were thriving at a Palm Beach County-based wildlife conservation organization.

An eight-legged stowaway was found in a UK worker's luggage upon arriving home from an African work placement this past June. The Evening Standard reported that it was a huntsman spider with a 10-centimeter leg span.

Despite using venom to immobilize their prey, the huntsman spiders are not deadly to humans. A bite from the huntsman spider, however, may cause pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, and heart palpitations. 

The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals captured and rescued the spider, according to The Evening Standard.

Four days after arriving home from their vacation in Zanzibar in April, a Wakefield couple was surprised to unpack a tiny gecko in their belongings.

Roughly the size of a pound coin, the baby lizard was taken by animal rescue workers at Reptilia Exotic Animal Rescue in Ossett, who were happy to see the accidentally imported creature still alive.

Geckos often have specific needs in order to survive in a place like the UK, such as controlled temperature, humidity, and specific lighting. BBC News reported that a spokesperson for Reptilia noted that these reptiles are among the most common reptile rescues in the UK.

In a clinical setting, the ADA National Network reports that a therapy animal can "improve physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning."

However, Transportation Security Administration officials were baffled when a woman in Florida claimed her boa constrictor was her emotional support pet. Insider reported in January that the snake, which goes by "Bartholomew," was coiled up in her carry-on at the Tampa International Airport.

The 4-foot reptile, which is a non-venomous snake, was not allowed on the plane.

A man traveling from Germany was concealing an unexpected item in September of 2022 — after security officers spotted something odd on their X-ray scanner, further inspection revealed a live albino alligator wrapped in cling film, The Straits Times reported.

According to the outlet, the 42-year-old American planned to take the creature to Singapore.

Albino alligators are extremely rare reptiles that are white due to a genetic condition. Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo estimate there are only about 100 to 200 albino alligators in the world.

The reptile was freed, treated, and was last reported as being cared for at a reptile sanctuary.

A patrol beagle alerted agriculture specialists to a live Giant African Snail inside a traveler's suitcase returning from Nigeria in November of 2022, the US Customs and Border Protection Department announced. 

According to the US Department of Agriculture, this type of snail consumes at least 500 different species of plants, making it highly invasive and one of the most damaging snails in the world.

It also poses a risk to humans since it carries a parasitic nematode that can lead to meningitis.

As a Delta passenger made his way through the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint last November, staff noticed in the X-ray the outline of an animal stowed away in his suitcase.

Insider reported that both staff and the traveler in question were shocked to find a live cat — which didn't even belong to the male passenger — curled up inside the luggage.

The orange feline, which actually belonged to another person in the passenger's household, had somehow made its way into the suitcase and then onto JFK airport. 

The cat was last known to be safely back at home.