Snakes Alive! Frightening Find In Kitchen

My friends, this was taken from Sky News:

http://news.sky.com/story/989303/snakes-alive-frightening-find-in-kitchen

That's quite a pretty one, though I don't think I'd like to open a drawer and find it....

Wonder what it is about snakes and Scotland? They keep turning up in the most bizarre places....it's not as if we even have our own, apart from some very shy little adders, which are rarely seen.

Aaarghh
Wow this is not good for one's bloodpressure. I jump on a chair when seeing a mouse, so glad there is a screen between this snake and us.


Phew...

No, you don't expect to open your kitchen drawer, in your Aberdeen home, and find a snake looking back at you, do you?

bb1 wrote:No, you don't expect to open your kitchen drawer, in your Aberdeen home, and find a snake looking back at you, do you?

Be aye thankful it was no George Galloway! LL

I have to ask - is word getting around serpentworld about Scotland taking in asylum-seeking snakes? This one smuggled itself onto a Glasgow-bound flight:

http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/snake-on-a-plane-discovered-at-glasgow-airport-1-2600809

Snake on a plane discovered at Glasgow airport



Furtivo was found on board a Thomas Cook flight

HE WAS a slithering stowaway who might have sparked hiss-teria. In a scene that could have come straight out of a recent Hollywood horror comedy, a snake managed to hitch a ride from Mexico to Scotland aboard a transatlantic flight.

The young reptile somehow found his way into the passenger cabin of a Thomas Cook flight bound for Glasgow while it was waiting to take off from Cancun, but he was not spotted until after it touched down on Scottish soil.

In the Samuel L Jackson film Snakes on a Plane, a crate full of deadly snakes wreak havoc on a passenger flight. Fortunately, there was only unwanted passenger on the plane to Glasgow. It was just 18in long and, although it was capable of inflicting a bite, it was not venomous.

Staff clearing the plane after the 5,000-mile, ten-hour trip found it under a row of seats and contacted animal rescue experts from the Scottish SPCA.

Having been able to coax the snake into a box before passing it on to the SSPCA, the stowaway is now being cared for at the organisation’s Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Cardonald.

In honour of his stealth-like abilities, the snake has been renamed Furtivo, which means “sneak” in Spanish, and it is hoped he will find a new home here in his adopted homeland.

Billy Linton, a senior SSPCA inspector with more than 30 years’ experience as a zookeeper, said airport staff had been “remarkably calm” considering the nature of the discovery.

He said: “We have had the snake examined by a vet and, although we can’t be 100 per cent certain, we believe he is of the dryadophis family, which are commonly referred to as American smooth-scaled racers.

“Racers aren’t venomous, but, like all snakes, they can bite and Furtivo is very feisty. Although small, he is still a juvenile and has a lot of growing to do.

“The staff at Glasgow airport remained remarkably calm when faced with what must have been a rather unwelcome passenger. I can only imagine that Furtivo managed to sneak his way on to the plane while it was waiting to take off in Cancun, although it is also possible he has hitched a lift in someone’s hand luggage.”

Praising the response of Mr Linton and his colleagues, a Thomas Cook spokeswoman said: “Luckily, finding unwanted visitors on aeroplanes is a very rare occurrence, and we’re grateful there were no passengers on board when a harmless friend was discovered on one of ours. We’d like to thank our crew and the SSPCA for looking after him.”

Furtivo is now making himself at home in Scotland, with the charity hopeful of finding him a new owner.

“Furtivo will remain in our care until we can find him an expert home with someone who has the necessary experience and knowledge to be able to look after such a creature,” Mr Linton said.

While the stowaway prompted surprise among airport staff, Mr Linton said it was far from uncommon to find creatures from far-flung lands aboard flights arriving in Scotland. “We have rescued several exotic creatures from international flights, including scorpions, spiders, turtles and even giant land snails, so this isn’t as unusual as many people might think,” he said.

This was not the first discovery of a snake at the airport in Scotland’s biggest city. A decade ago, a woman bound for the Netherlands from the United States was stopped and found to be wearing a snake belt that turned out to be alive.

Would hate to have that happen under my seat, how about you, Bonny?

Yup, I'd freak, Lily. What's bizarre is that the snake-finders quickly get over the shock of finding the serpent on a lamppost/in their cutlery drawer/under their seat and remove the snake to a place of safety, ensuring its Hissing Rites are fully respected...

Now, I could understand this in a country which is used to snakes...but not here

To heck with moving snakes to safety. I say keep people safe.