Snake hitches ride on flight from Australia to snake-free New Zealand

March 28 (UPI) -- A snake attempted to travel from snake-filled Australia to snake-free New Zealand by sneaking onto a private jet.

New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries shared a photo of the stowaway snake that managed to find its way onto the plane.

"A Ministry for Primary Industries snake handler was quickly on the scene and managed to capture the unwanted stowaway." spokesman Craig Hughes told ABC News.

The snake, thought to be a brown tree snake, was found in poor condition and euthanized, according to the Primary Industries Twitter page.

Hughes said that while the breed is not dangerous to humans, it could pose a danger to New Zealand's wildlife as a nonnative species.

"We don't have a snake population in New Zealand. Biosecurity officials are doing their best to make sure it stays that way," he said.