Australian media outlets have reported that a snake flied thousands of kilometers, from Australia to Scotland, in a tourist suitcase.
The non-venomous spotted reptile was found in Moira Boxall's shoe after returning from a family holiday in Queensland on Friday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported earlier this week.
According to the German News Agency, Boxall's son-in-law Paul Airlie, who lives with his family in Mackay, told ABC that the find was certainly a surprise.
Airlie added that "she was not at all expecting to find the snake when she was unpacking a bag when she got back to Scotland," noting that the snake was hiding in her shoe.
"Somehow or other it got from Mackay to Glasgow without being detected. Snakes are as foreign to a Scot as snow is to a Queenslander," he told ABC.
One of the published photos showed the snake had shed its skin during the journey.
"I don't know exactly when it shed its skin but it had to happen on the flight which is strange," Airlie said.
The snake is currently in quarantine in Scotland.
