The Daily Record reports a snake hitched a free ride from Costa Rica to Scotland on a pineabpple before it was discovered by a shocked shopper.
A shopper had bought the pineapple at an Aldi store on Gilmerton Road, but only discovered the little freeloader once they returned home. The Scottish SPCA was called after the reptile was found hiding between the leaves of the fruit.
Animal Rescue Officer Catherine Atterton said: “It’s not every day that we get called out to attend to snakes found in peculiar places.
“I know not long ago there was a wee lizard found on a head of broccoli so I was quite excited to see what had stowed away on this pineapple.
“We named him Ricky, as he’s come all the way from Costa Rica.
An Aldi spokesperson said: “This is the first time we, or our supplier, who supplies all major supermarkets, have received a complaint of this nature.
“All our fresh pineapples are transported in cold storage with additional processes in place to prevent such issues occurring. We are investigating this isolated incident with our supplier to understand how this could have happened.”
