A snake hitched a free ride from Costa Rica to the UK on a PINEAPPLE before it was discovered by a shocked shopper.
The Scottish SPCA was called out to Tryst Park, Edinburgh after the reptile was found hiding between the leaves of the fruit on Tuesday.
A member of the public had bought the pineapple at a local store but only discovered the little freeloader once they returned home.
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.
“As yet he’s not been identified but he’s in a good condition and is now being cared for by experts at Butterfly World in Edinburgh.
“We’re glad we were called out, as without proper care Ricky wouldn’t survive our climate.
“Now he’ll be able to recuperate from his adventures.”
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.”
