The flight has to make an emergency landing after a live mouse was found in an airplane meal

Looks like this was a case of hide and seek on a plane. The surprise appearance of a mouse forced Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) to divert a flight from Oslo, Norway to Malaga, Spain for an emergency landing in Copenhagen, Denmark on Wednesday. And that wasn’t a computer mouse. It was a real live mouse that had been taken out of the box containing a passenger’s in-flight meal.

The rodent was apparently a stowaway, assuming there is no record of this mouse having purchased a ticket on that particular flight. You might be wondering why the airline took the rather drastic step of grounding the flight as soon as possible. Well, like many other airlines, SAS has an emergency flight diversion policy when an unexpected rodent is spotted. This is because such rodents can pose significant risks to flight safety. So if you see a mouse on your flight, don’t just say, “Awww, that’s cute.” Instead, notify the flight crew as soon as possible.

The biggest danger associated with the plane is that rodents can chew through the wiring and other parts of the plane. And you kind of want a plane’s wiring to be intact and working when the plane is in the air. Also, the problem with seeing a mouse is that you don’t know how many other mice might be in the vicinity. A single mouse could be the harbinger or sign of an infestation. So discovering a mouse means the crew will have to check the rest of the plane for any other furry accomplices.

Plus, when you’re ordering a meal anywhere—whether it’s on a plane or in a restaurant, there are reasons why you might not normally say, “I’ll have the one with the live mouse in it.” Mice can be quite dirty. They tend to pee and poop everywhere. These bodily fluids as well as their body surfaces can carry all kinds of disease-causing germs, including various bacteria and viruses. Thus, mice can end up infecting everything they touch with harmful pathogens.

One of the most common concerns is Salmonella. Mice can easily pick up this type of bacteria when they spend time around garbage, which mice tend to do a lot. I have written about Salmonella several times for Forbes since the bacteria have led to a number of different foodborne and animalborne outbreaks.

You don’t want this bacteria to enter your GI tract. The result can be bad abdominal cramps and diarrhea, often bloody diarrhea. And no one wants to have these kinds of symptoms during a getaway vacation. Salmonellosis can even make you sick enough to land you in the hospital, especially if your immune system is weaker.

Another thing that is crap that mice can carry is Leptospirabacteria that can be found in water or soil. Meticulous can cause leptospirosis, which can lead to fever, headaches, chills, muscle aches and vomiting. Now, things can get worse with leptospirosis too, especially if you don’t get antibiotics in time. Complications include kidney or liver damage, meningitis and even death.

Of course, if you find a mouse in one of your foods, don’t eat it—meaning neither the food nor the mouse—no matter how hungry you are. Immediately throw away the food and anything that may have touched the food.

It is not clear how and when the mouse got into the lunch box. The mouse did not elaborate. However, Jack Burgess reports for BBC News quoted SAS spokesman Oystein Schmidt as saying, “This is something that happens extremely rarely.” Schmift added, “We have established procedures for such situations, which also include a review with our suppliers to ensure this does not happen again.” Yes, the hope is that an in-flight meal would be very nice. And not too many mice.