STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. Airlines have needed fewer planes during the pandemic. Many are parked in the Mojave Desert - perfect dry conditions for storage, also perfect for scorpions and rattlesnakes, which curl up in the wheel wells and around the tires. Qantas Airlines shared its solution. Each sophisticated plane comes with a broom handle, a wheel whacker, so technicians can safely scare the creatures away. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.