- Deadly Snake Found in Shipping Container in the U.K.
- They called local authorities and then the animal hospital for assistance.
- Wildlife hospital staff secured the snake in a locked box and taped the room shut (South Essex Wildlife Hospital)
To the great surprise of a stonemason in southeast England, when their long-awaited shipping container arrived from India there was an unwelcomed stowaway snake in the box. The shipment of rocks had arrived from India and they were beginning to unpack it when they found the snake, published by The Maritime Executive.
A Dangerous Encounter
“The people who opened the container and found the viper was very lucky to be alive,” Sue Schwar of the South Essex Wildlife Hospital told the BBC.
They called local authorities and then the animal hospital for assistance.
“It was hissing and spitting,” the hospital reported.
“As it was identified as a saw-scaled viper and having had one before we understood fully the gravity of just how dangerous these reptiles are,” said the animal hospital.
“They are way up there in the top few most deadly snakes (it is believed to have killed more people than all the other species combined).”
They have a highly toxic venom that can cause humans to bleed to death.
A Harmless Departure
The South Essex Wildlife Hospital reported that its staff was able to place the snake into a locked box and transport it back to their facility.
It was placed in a locked room that they sealed with tape and placed warning signs on the door.
They arranged for the snake to be taken to a safe location by an organization that will be able to properly care for the animal.
It is also far from the first incident of a poisonous stowaway being found in a container.
In the summer of 2020, a large venomous Huntsman spider was found in a shipping container also in England.
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Source: The Maritime Executive
