Passengers aboard a train in the U.K. were joined by a bright orange-hued snake on Monday. The reptile was found slithering beneath train carriage seats, according to footage shared on social media.
The train company, CrossCountry, shared a video of the "slippery friend" in a tweet, noting: "Snakes on a Train, the sequel to Snakes on a Plane that nobody asked for!"
The train, which was traveling from Nottingham in England to the Welsh city of Cardiff, was forced to stop at Gloucester in the south west of England, while British Transport Police searched it. Gloucester City Police and their dogs were also deployed to join the search efforts.
The snake was initially reported to be missing in action during the search, police said in a tweet Monday.
They tweeted: "No two days the same. First call of the day report of a snake on a @CrossCountryUK train between Nottingham and Cardiff. Train searched at Gloucester with help from @Glos_Police @GlosPolDogs. No trace of this slippery customer #joblikenoother #snakesonatrain."
CrossCountry said the snake was safely removed by the police and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
Snakes on a Train, the sequel to Snakes on a Plane that nobody asked for! Thanks to @BTP and @RSPCA_official for safely removing our slippery friend. pic.twitter.com/sTyf3J05aX
— CrossCountry trains. Wear a Face Covering 😷 (@CrossCountryUK) June 14, 2021
Gloucester Live, a local U.K. news service, reported that the authorities managed to get the snake safely into a box before removing it from the train.
The origins of the snake and how it may have ended up on the train are unknown.
Newsweek contacted the police and the RSPCA for comment.
Other recent snake sightings
Last week, a large venomous snake was found inside a child's toy basket that was filled with dolls, in Australia.
A video of the potentially dangerous encounter was shared on Facebook by Stuart McKenzie from the Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, who was called to the scene.
"When I arrived and saw this situation it actually sent a shiver down my spine," McKenzie wrote in the Facebook post.
"The two young daughters and their mom were playing in the girls room and went to take a few toys out of the toy basket when they uncovered a large fat red-bellied black snake hiding in there. Wow!"
McKenzie eventually released the reptile back into the Australian bush, away from the home.
Earlier this month, a woman in Alabama nearly sat on a snake that was lounging on her chair.
According to FOX 10 News, Gerri Womack Garon was about to settle down in a beach chair in the seaside town of Orange Beach when she noticed something slithery on her seat.
Sharing an image of the reptile on Facebook, she wrote: "Didn't know it was required to check your beach chair for reptiles until today!" noting that the snake was safely removed.
"Great job to the beach attendant who relocated this guy back to the dunes!"
