An aircraft has been grounded for five days after over 130 hamsters in the cargo hold managed to escape their cages during the flight.

Maintenance crews have been attempting to round up the rodents since the escape on Tuesday, November 12, but 16 hamsters remain unaccounted for.

Baggage handlers discovered that the cages containing the hamsters had been damaged, and by the time the Airbus 320 landed in Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores archipelago in Portugal, 132 hamsters were roaming freely in the cargo hold. The animals were part of a delivery for a local pet shop, which also included ferrets and birds.

The aircraft, which had originated in Lisbon, was unable to continue its journey after the rodents’ escape, and efforts to capture the remaining hamsters were still ongoing as of last night, according to local newspaper Correio da Manha.

The animals had initially been rejected from an earlier flight due to the cages not meeting the required standards. TAP Air Portugal, the airline operating the flight, has not yet provided an official statement.

Images of workers using gloves to retrieve some of the hamsters from their hiding spots have been shared publicly, as they took care to avoid the animals’ sharp teeth.