Photo: Helaina Alati via AP
A python recently joined shoppers at an Australian grocery store, slithering along the shelves before getting spotted.
Helaina Alati was browsing through her local Sydney grocery store when she came face-to-face with a diamond python. The 10-foot-long snake appeared from the shelves of the spice aisle at the Woolworths supermarket and came within inches of her face.
“I was in the spice aisle just looking for something to put on my chicken that night, so I didn’t initially see it because it was curled up way back behind the little jars of spices,” Alati said Wednesday, according to theAssociated Press. “I kind of turned to my right, and it poked its head out.”
Alati was the ideal shopper for the snake to encounter. She happens to have a professional background in reptiles — previously working as a trained snake catcher at a Sydney wildlife rescue organization — and was able to remain calm during the shocking moment.
“Thankfully, I have a background in snakes, so I was pretty calm about it. It definitely shocked me a little bit because I wasn’t expecting it,” she told the outlet.
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Alati continued, “I knew straight away it was non-venomous, it was non-aggressive, it wasn’t going to be a problem for anyone. I think everyone was a little bit excited. We’re all in lockdown, so it was kind of like the most excitement we’ve had for a while.”
“Once it was sighted, our team members reacted quickly and calmly to cordon off the area for the safety of customers,” the statement from the supermarket chain said, per AP.
source: people.com
