Neville Linton, 63, went shopping. However, he discovered a «shocking» surprise in a bunch of broccoli. As usual, he visited an Aldi in the West Midlands of England.
However, a few days later, while cooking, he opened the bag and found a snake in the vegetable. It was every ophidiophobic’s nightmare. Unfortunately, Linton had a great fear of snakes.
Linton, who works in industrial cleaning, was rescued by relatives, who arrived immediately and captured the snake. «It was quite scary,» said the grandfather. «I can’t stand snakes.
It’s a good thing I didn’t leave the broccoli in the kitchen, otherwise it would have scattered all over the house. As we have two vulnerable people here, it would have been a significant threat to us.
After discovering the reptile, he called his sister, Ann-Marie Tenkanemin, 57, who identified the snake. The pair captured the reptile in a plastic container and took it back to Aldi.
“At first, I thought she was joking,” Linton said of Tenkanemin’s identification of the snake, “but when I saw it move, I walked away.” “The store clerk was also very frightened.”
Although he received compensation, Linton believes the case should have received more attention, as the snake posed a danger to his vulnerable relatives, including his paralyzed son and mother-in-law.
“It’s not enough: the consequences for us if the snake had escaped into the house would have been enormous,” he explained. “There’s also the emotional impact of the fear of snakes.”
«Our supplier has never received a complaint of this nature and has robust procedures in place to prevent these issues,» an Aldi spokesperson said. «We are investigating this isolated incident and apologise to Mr Linton for not meeting our usual high quality standards.»
A specialist from Dudley Zoo identified the reptile as a young lyre-tailed macaque, according to Linton’s son, Donovan, 41. Although they may look scary and can inflict a painful bite, they are not venomous.
They can be found in many countries in Europe, including Spain, Portugal and parts of Italy and France. Shrubs, forests, vineyards, rodent holes, hollow trees, orchards and rocks are ideal habitats for them.
Lyre-tailed macaques are usually solitary, aggressive and defensive. They drive away enemies by biting with their sharp teeth and emit an unpleasant odor. Despite their carnivorous nature, they avoid humans.
Instead, they feed on rodents such as mice and rabbits, as well as birds, spiders, lizards and insects. The snake that was found hiding in the broccoli was taken to Dudley Zoo.
However, herpetologist Dr. Steven J. R. Allain identified it as a viper snake, which is fortunately less deadly. «After reviewing the [real] photo of the snake in the broccoli, I’m not sure the zoo correctly identified the species,» Allain commented.
«In my opinion, the snake is a viper snake (Natrix maura), a harmless fish-eating species found throughout southwestern Europe and northern Africa.»
He speculates on how it may have ended up in the broccoli. «Given that the Mediterranean region supplies a large proportion of the UK’s cultivated and imported food, it is not surprising that a species from that region should be found in some of the vegetables likely grown there.»
«The snake was probably passing through the field at the time before being caught by the agricultural machinery and sought refuge in the broccoli, in my opinion.»
