(The following Reuters article appeared on May 19.)
LONDON — A hungry ferret caused chaos on a commuter train in central England on Sunday, leaping from passenger to passenger before ducking into the driver’s cab and devouring his lunch.
The wild ferret jumped on to the northbound Midland Mainline train as it picked up passengers at Leicester Station.
“It ran up and down the train causing more than a little consternation — although it is hard to say if the ferret or the passengers were more frightened,” a company spokeswoman said.
“It then got into the driver’s cab and ate his lunch — a cheese sandwich I think — before he realized what was going on,” she told Reuters.
The quick thinking driver radioed ahead for experts from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) to meet the train, capture the ferret and remove it so the journey could continue.
“So we have a hungry driver and a full ferret — which is spending the night with the RSPCA while they try to find it a new home,” the spokeswoman said, adding that it was a first for the company.