29 May,2019 09:50 AM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
The large rat snake was discovered in a shopping cart at a Texas departmental store. Pic/Facebook Northeast Police Department
Cold-blooded animals straying into human habitats and greeting people at unusual places is a rare phenomenon. Over the years, there have been various instances when snakes have strayed into the life of people from nearby forests, either in search of prey or looking for a stay or two. Recently, an employee of a supermarket store in Texas, USA was in for a shock of his life when he had a slippery surprise and was greeted by a reptile.
According to the Northeast Police Department of Texas, USA, a supermarket employee was collecting shopping carts from the parking lot when all of a sudden he spotted a snake in one of the carts. In the photos shared by the Northeast Police Department on their Facebook page, the large rat snake is seen taking refuge in one of the shopping carts.
In their Facebook post, the police department wrote that an officer at the parking lot heard the attendant's 'loud scream' and ran to the spot immediately. The officer saw a reptile, which was identified as a 'large rat snake'. The reptile had "worked its way to a group of shopping carts that had been sitting in a return area."
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In order to rescue the reptile, the police department had to call in a snake catcher. A Savannah-based John Heckaman, who is also known as 'The Snake Charmer', was soon informed about the snake being spotted in a shopping cart at a departmental store.
The snake charmer soon spotted the snake and after getting hold of it, he even helped to relocate it. However, in the process of rescuing the reptile, Heckaman was "bit once in the process".
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Ever since the post was shared online by the Northeast Police Department on May 26, it has garnered over a thousand likes, nearly two thousand shares, and about one thousand comments. The post has gone viral since then and netizens have been extremely concerned over their safety and security at public places with reptiles venturing into human habitats.
Besides providing information about the incident, the police department also revealed that due to heavy rains in Texas of late, snakes are moving out of their natural habitat and looking for shelter.
See Photos: Hiss Stories: When reptiles greeted people at unusual places
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