Snake in hold — men flee ship

Press, 25 November 1976, Page 10

Snake in hold — men flee ship

PA Auckland Auckland watersiders abandoned a ship they were working in when a snake was found in a cargo of bananas from Ecuador. Men in a hold of the Soviet freighter Kotovskiy scrambled for the exits when the cry of “Snake alive” went up. But after cautiously approaching the snake, it was found to have been killed when the boxes of bananas were stacked. Work resumed when the

snake was confirmed as non-poisonous. An Auckland Watersiders' Union official, Mr J. Hewitt, described the snake as “greeny-spotted, about 18 inches long.” The mere sight of the snake had caused a minor panic, he said. No-one was taking any chances. It was thrown at me when I wasn’t looking. I got a fright all right, Mr Hewitt said. A Ministry of Agricul-

ture spokesman said that the last snake found in a ship at Auckland, about tw'o years ago had also been dead. Live snakes had also been found, although it was by no means a regular occurrance. The Ministry spokesman had not seen the snake; but the size of the creature which caused the scare had diminished as the word was passed on. “It was just a small one,” he said. “About six inches.”