Junior Posted August 22, 2021 Share Posted August 22, 2021 @Jazzy Jan Snake slithers out of spice shelves at Sydney supermarket A grocery run turned into a snake rescue for an Australian woman when she was greeted by a python poking out from a supermarket shelf. Helaina Alati, 25, was at a Sydney store on Monday when the 3m non-venomous snake slithered out. The Woolworths supermarket lies on the edge of a large expanse of bushland on the city's north- west outskirts. But encountering a snake in the spice aisle is not what Ms Alati expected. Fortunately for both parties, Ms Alati is a wildlife rescuer and familiar with snakes. "I just turned my head and he was about 20cm from my face, just looking straight at me," she told the BBC. She did a double-take but remained calm. No one else was around. Recognising it instantly as a diamond python, Ms Alati knew it wasn't venomous as it protruded and flicked its tongue. "He was looking straight at me the whole time, almost like he was saying: 'Can you take me outside please?'" she said. After filming the snake, Ms Alati alerted staff and said she could help them get it out. She retrieved a snake bag from her home, returned to the store, "tapped him on the tail and he just slithered in". She then released it away from houses in bushland - a natural habitat for the species around Sydney. 'Like a scene from Harry Potter' A trained snake handler, Ms Alati has conducted at least 20 snake rescues before. She says her friends have previously joked about her being "the snake girl", referencing a zoo scene in a Harry Potter film where the boy wizard finds that he can talk to snakes. Ms Alati says she can't speak Parseltongue like Harry, but "that scene's been mentioned to me a few times". "They kind of just gravitate to me, like maybe they just sense that I'm the kind of person into caring and protecting animals," she said. "To be honest, it's the most exciting thing that's happened in a little while given lockdown. The staff were all taking photos of it." Australia's largest city has been in a lockdown since June to fight a Delta outbreak. Grocery shopping is one of the few reasons people are allowed to leave their homes. Ms Alati said she suspected the snake had been in the shop overnight, probably initially in the ceiling where diamond pythons like to nestle. It had probably lurked on the shelf all morning as "dozens of people... passed it and grabbed spices", she added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted August 22, 2021 Share Posted August 22, 2021 @Junior I would have been terrified the way the snake was poking out of the shelves. Sends shivers down my spine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Je5u5 Posted August 23, 2021 Share Posted August 23, 2021 Maybe it was trained to help grab the stuff from the top shelves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genevieve Vavance Posted August 23, 2021 Share Posted August 23, 2021 The snake was like HI, can I help you with something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runa Posted August 23, 2021 Share Posted August 23, 2021 helloooooooooooooooooooo ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted August 23, 2021 Share Posted August 23, 2021 7 hours ago, Genevieve Vavance said: The snake was like HI, can I help you with something? The snake actually did look like that. I would be terrified seeing it but it did not seem aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frzndrwnwrld Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 The snake was just picking out some spices. Snakes have rights too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wick1234 Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 I thought it was THE OTHER SNAKE!!! 8 incher to 12 incher~~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelheart Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 3 hours ago, wick1234 said: I thought it was THE OTHER SNAKE!!! 8 incher to 12 incher~~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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