The unexpected visitor was eventually taken to Dudley Zoo, where, according to the account, specialists identified it as a young ladder snake. Native to parts of southwestern Europe, the species is non-venomous—a reassuring outcome after such an alarming find. Its identification answered the biggest question, although the account did not establish exactly how the animal entered the package or escaped detection along the way.
One possible explanation begins in the fields, where vegetables grow alongside wildlife. Small animals can occasionally be collected during harvesting, and broccoli’s tightly packed florets offer
