A bunch of bananas at a New Hampshire grocery store hid a slithering stowaway last week, a scaly story that might get adapted for the big screen as “Snakes on a Plantain.”
Employees at a Market Basket in Manchester got an unexpected surprise on Saturday when they discovered a hissing hitchhiker nestled among their shipment of bananas, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division.
NH Fish and Game conservation officer Griffin McKeown told ABC News affiliate WMUR that he spoke to an employee at the grocery store who made the unusual discovery.
“Luckily for us, he seemed to be pretty familiar with snakes,” McKeown said.
The unwelcome traveler was a two-foot-long Ornate Cat-eyed Snake, a mildly venomous species native to Ecuador, according to NH Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division. McKeown noted to WMUR that New Hampshire law prohibits the possession of any venomous snake aside from the hog-nosed snake.
“We’ve had a few calls about pet surrenders of ball pythons and stuff like that, but never, never a venomous snake,” McKeown said to WMUR. “That’s definitely a first for me.”
NH Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division said that the snake was unharmed and has since been rehomed with Rainforest Reptile Shows Inc., an educational organization specializing in exotic animal care.
Rainforest Reptile Shows Inc. on Facebook thanked officials “for ensuring a smooth and quick transition for our newest animal resident!”
“The Cat-eyed Snake that arrived today is a specialized species from Panama, Ecuador, and Colombia that primarily feeds on amphibians and lizards,” the company said. “As a nocturnal species, its care requires extra expertise and attention.”