Snakes on a Train: Commuters get a nasty slithering surprise

Gloucester, UK - British railway company CrossCountry reported a potentially scary incident on Twitter with a bit of humor. But not before a fair amount of panic had ensued.

This snake caused some train passengers to panic.
This snake caused some train passengers to panic.  © Twitter/Screenshot/@CrossCountryUK

Passengers traveling by train from Nottingham to Cardiff suddenly discovered an orange snake under a seat on Monday.

According to the Daily Star, the train then made an extended stop in the English city of Gloucester, where police officers with trained sniffer dogs came on board.

The law enforcement officers were also accompanied by staff from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

Dog's adorable response to orphaned kitten melts hearts on TikTok: "This was his kitten"
Cats Dog's adorable response to orphaned kitten melts hearts on TikTok: "This was his kitten"

But as soon as everyone was on board to catch the reptile, a bigger problem arose: the long guest without a train ticket managed to disappear from the face of the earth.

The police had their hands full, as a train is full of many ideal places for a snake to hide, from seat fittings, to baggage compartments, and plenty of warm coat pockets.

Snake was not dangerous, according to an expert

After a period of stressful searching, the gorgeous orange snake revealed itself and wandered into a cardboard box.

According to an expert, the reptile was an albino milk snake. Fortunately, this species isn't poisonous and mostly harmless to humans. In fact, it's quite expensive. That kind of color combination is very rare in the wild, which means it was bred to look that way.

This means that someone, somewhere is now missing a very exotic pet.

Cover photo: collage: 123RF/Puripat Penpun & pabkov

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