On an ordinary day in England’s West Midlands, 63-year-old Neville Linton went on a routine grocery shopping trip to Aldi. Little did he know that this mundane task would soon turn into a sting in his back that would haunt him for some time to come. As he scanned the aisles, he picked up a seemingly innocent bag of broccoli, not expecting the horrifying surprise that awaited him inside.
Neville Linton, the grandfather of one of them, was doing his daily job when he bought the fateful bag of broccoli. He had no reason to believe that this seemingly harmless vegetable would turn into a source of shock and fear. Little did he know that his life would take an unexpected turn.
It wasn’t until a few days later, when Linton decided to prepare the broccoli, that he made a shocking discovery. His eyes widened in sheer terror as he opened the bag. Nestled among the green flowers was a snake, a creature he had an innate fear of. For someone who suffered from ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes, it was nothing less than a nightmare come to life.
In this terrifying moment, however, Linton’s quick thinking and the quick action of his family members saved the day.
Relatives ran and grabbed the snake away from Linton, who works in industrial cleaning and saved it. The grandfather-of-one said: “It was quite scary. I’m not a good snake handler. Broccoli would have been loose all over the house if I’d just left it in the kitchen. We’ve got two weak people living here so it would have been a big danger for us.
After discovering the reptile, he called his 57-year-old sister, Ann-Marie Tenkanemin, who identified it as a snake. They both caught the lizard in a plastic container and took it back to Aldi. When Tenkanemin identified the snake, Linton responded, “At first I thought she was joking, but I backed off when I saw it start to move. The salesman was also somewhat frightened.
Although he received some compensation, Linton believes that more should have been awarded because the snake posed a threat to weaker members of his family, especially his crippled son and his mother-in-law. The implications for us if it gets out into the home are huge, he continued: “It’s just not good enough.” Plus, I’m scared of snakes, so that has an emotional effect as well.
An Aldi representative said: “Our supplier has comprehensive measures in place to prevent situations like this from occurring and has never received a complaint of this nature. We are investigating this isolated incident and have apologized to Mr. Linton for failing to do our usual best.” standards.
Was it some kind of snake?
Donovan Linton, Linton’s 41-year-old son, said a Dudley Zoo expert identified the animal as a baby ladder snake. They can inflict a terrible bite and have a terrifying appearance, yet they are not poisonous. Common locations in Europe are Spain, Portugal, and parts of Italy and France.
 They like cool, low-shade environments including hedgerows, woodlands, vineyards, rodent burrows, hollow trees, orchards, and boulders. The nature of ladder snakes is typically solitary, combative, and defensive. They repel attackers by flashing their razor-sharp fangs and emitting an offensive odor. Although they are carnivores, they avoid chasing humans. Instead, they eat insects, birds, spiders, lizards, and rodents such as mice and rabbits. The lizard that attacked the broccoli is now a resident of Dudley Zoo.
Dr. However, Steven J.R. Allain, a herpetologist, recognizes it as a less lethal viper snake, which is fortunate. After looking at the [real] photo of the snake in the broccoli, Allain commented, “I’m not convinced the zoo has pinpointed the species. My trained eyes tell me the snake is a water viper (Natrix maura), a fish. A live species that is not dangerous and is widespread in southern Europe and northern Africa.
He wonders how it could have slipped into the broccoli. It is not surprising that a species from the Mediterranean region has been detected in some of the vegetables likely to have been grown there, given that a significant amount of food produced and imported into the UK originates from this region. I believe the snake initially traveled across the field before being caught by farm machinery and then hiding in the broccoli.
Water snakes are only threatened by fish (or frogs). They are thought to be non-venomous to humans because they do not bite humans as a protective strategy (they much prefer to play dead). Additionally, especially in freezing conditions such as a refrigerator, these snakes can go months without food, which would slow down their metabolism. However, said the snake would not appreciate leaving the balmy Mediterranean for a colder, crispier socket.
Regardless of the species of reptile, Allain wants to raise awareness about it among the general population. If people had more knowledge about these sensitive and misunderstood creatures, maybe they would be less afraid.