A man who went to a shop to acquire some groceries also returned with a snake, and he didn’t realise it until after the snake had become accustomed to eating the stuff that he had brought back with him.
Over the course of the previous month, Neville Linton, who is 63 years old, purchased a bag of broccoli from an Aldi store located in Stourbridge, England. He then placed the broccoli in his refrigerator and took it out three days later to prepare a supper.
However, as soon as the man attempted to remove the wrapping from the broccoli, he was confronted with an unexpected visitor. You can find out how the event transpired by continuing to scroll down, and you shouldn’t miss the conversation that we had about it with Dr. Steven J. R. Allain, also known as The pop-punk Herpetologist.
The snake, which had been wandering around in a broccoli field in the southwestern region of Europe, was then packaged up and sent to a grocery store in the United Kingdom.
Without any suspicion, Neville Linton, who is 63 years old, picked it up along with a bag of veggies and brought the reptile back to his house.
It was impossible for Neville, who works in industrial cleaning, to believe what he was seeing.
This was a very terrifying experience. According to him, “I’m not very good with snakes.In the event that I had simply left the broccoli out in the kitchen, it would have been dispersed over the entire domestic space. It turned out to be a fortunate fact that I did not do that.
Because we have two people who are fragile living here, something like that would have been a significant risk for us.
He phoned his sister Ann-Marie Tenkanemin for assistance when he recognised that the thing was too enormous to be a caterpillar. She assessed that it was a snake after coming to the conclusion that it was such a large monster.
After placing it in a tub, the two individuals returned to the Aldi store located on Dudley Road, where Neville had made the prior purchase.
After seeing it move for the first time, I thought she was joking, but after seeing it move, I retreated from the scene. “The individual who was working in the shop was also quite terrified,” he stated.
After being brought to a nearby zoo, the professionals there confirmed that the snake in question was a juvenile laddering snake.
However, Dr. Steven J. R. Allain, a herpetologist, has a strong suspicion that it could be a viperine water snake.
After being brought to the Dudley Zoo, the staff there has determined that the reptile in question is likely a young ladder snake. On the other hand, Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Steven J. R. Allain, and most of the time, he is of the opposite opinion.
Following an examination of the photograph of the snake in the broccoli, Allain informed us that he was uncertain as to whether or not the zoo had accurately recognised the species. According to my professional judgement, the snake in question is a viperine water snake, also known as Natrix maura. This type of snake is harmless and feeds on fish. It may be found in the southwestern region of Europe and in northern Africa.
Over the course of his academic career, Allain has earned degrees in zoology from Anglia Ruskin University, a Master’s degree from Imperial College London, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Kent. His present research focuses mostly on the population ecology of the barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica) and the consequences of ophidiomycosis; however, he is also interested in exploring the relationship between amphibian disease and population ecology.
In light of the fact that a significant proportion of the food that is grown and brought into the United Kingdom originates from the Mediterranean region, it should not come as a surprise to discover a species that originates from this location appearing in some veggies that are most likely grown there. It is my view that the snake was most likely wandering around the field at the time, but it was eventually caught by agricultural machinery and then sought sanctuary within the broccoli.
The trip to the United Kingdom and then another one to Neville’s house took some time, but Allain stated that these snakes are able to survive a couple of months without eating, and the freezing of the refrigerator would have helped keep its metabolism low, so minimising the amount of energy that the body requires.
“However, I can’t even begin to fathom how comfortable it could have been,” he continued. In order to ensure that the broccoli remains as fresh as possible, it is essential that the transition from the warm environment of the Mediterranean to a climate that is relatively cooler occurs as quickly as possible.
When it comes to aquatic snakes, viperine snakes are only deadly if you are a fish (or a frog). As a kind of self-defense, they do not bite humans; in fact, they would much rather pretend to be dead. Furthermore, they are not considered to be poisonous to humans.
“I know that this must have been a distressing time for Neville, especially for someone who has a fear of snakes,” Allain said. “However, his reaction could have been more positive if there had been more widespread education and understanding of snakes, as well as how to deal with situations like this.” According to the statement, “It is not the snake’s fault that it ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time,” but it is hoped that the snake’s new home at the Dudley Zoo will assist in overcoming the anxieties that people have regarding snakes.
There has been an offer of compensation made to Neville, but he is attempting to win more.
The father of three claimed that the amount that he had heard did not appear to be appropriate because of the risk that would be posed to his disabled son and his mother-in-law, who both dwell in the same residence. He further stated that the figure did not appear to be appropriate.
He continued by saying, “It’s just not good enough.” “The repercussions for us would have been enormous if it had been discovered in the house. In addition to that, I have a major fear of snakes, so there is also the emotional consequence of that.
The following is an excerpt from a statement that was issued by a spokeswoman for Aldi: “Our supplier has never had a complaint of this nature and has robust processes in place to prevent such issues from occurring.”
“We have apologised to Mr. Linton for the fact that our usual high standards were not met, and we are currently conducting an investigation into this isolated incident.”
