Rats have been found scurrying around inside the Detroit airport, and passengers caught it on video. According to the airport,

The health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority. We are working with our contractor to address the issue now.

But reader Ken A. writes me pointing out that there used to be another solution,

Michigan had a 10 cent per rat head bounty that was repealed in 2000. People would cut off the rat head and deliver the head to the local city or county clerk.

Perhaps Delta Air Lines or DTW airport could offer passenger flight or restaurant discounts for each rat head delivered to the check-in counter to help reduce the vermin problem at DTW.

If Delta wants to reduce the rat population at the DTW terminal…passengers could send their rat heads to Delta World HQ using the free Delta company mail to collect the vermin bounty.

I didn’t know about the Michigan rat bounty program, which began in 1915. The statewide rat bounty law awarded 5 cents per rat killed, requiring people to cut off the head and deliver it to claim the reward. Individual counties could opt out. .

In 1938, Detroit instituted a local bounty of 3 cents per rat turned in to the Department of Public Works. At that point, city employees had killed 900,000 rats the prior year, and they wanted to be eliminating 2 million because of an oubreak of leptospirosis (infective jaundice) which was causing a spike in child mortality.

The bounty amount was later raised to 10 cents, and sat on the books until 2002 when it was repealed as outdated. However Detroit suburb St. Clair Shores debated reviving it at $5 per dead rat delivered in a clear plastic bag in 2013, but didn’t pass.

Rodents aren’t just a problem in Detroit, of course.

Last night I was waiting on my 2 hour delayed @SouthwestAir flight from DCA to DAL with a few friends waiting with me. pic.twitter.com/SYyXI6N1rG

— DeWayne Close (@CoachDeWayneC) August 23, 2025

A kangaroo once walked into an airport pharmacy in Australia and also hopped down the aisle of an American Airlines flight so it shouldn’t come as a terrible surprise to see a monkey sidling up to the bar in one of the airport lounges in Delhi.

Although passengers in the lounge were certainly surprised to see the monkey take a drink of fruit juice, and not tip the bartender.

Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/0EGAOuzVDU

— Mahender Singh Manral (@mahendermanral) October 1, 2021

And it was surprising to see a raccoon pop up at a retail shop and help themselves to a snack while passengers are buying food at the self-checkout in Philadephia.

Still, Detroit airport is home to several unique problems. Someone even replaced bathroom soap there with bodily fluids.