It was less a case of a snake in the grass in Kirkcaldy than a snake in a recycling bin in the Fife town on Monday.
Anyone arriving at the town’s Dunearn Drive clothing recycling bin was in for the shock of their lives.
Photographs taken at the site clearly show a snake making its way out of the clothing bin, much to the shock of bystanders.
As dozens of folk took to social media to discuss the scary moment, others contacted police and the SSPCA.
Happy ending
The tale of the adventurous reptile ended happily with the snake safely captured and in the capable hands of local SSPCA officers.
Jan Graham said: “When I arrived at the carpark at about 5.45pm the police were sitting a a marked police car.
“I asked if they knew about the snake and they said they had it in the car waiting on the SSPCA arriving. I didn’t see the SSPCA arriving but the police left about 6.15pm.”
Another woman said: “I was going to go up to the bottle bank, if I had seen that I would have fainted on the spot. Not what you would expect to see on a Monday afternoon.”
Saffi Wallace said: “Hope someone manages to go pick it up and put it in a safe container until owner can get it.
“When mine went a wander I was worried sick about her until she was safe. Its too cold out there for them.”
Rat snake
A spokesman for the SSPCA confirmed that it was a rat snake.
Rat snakes are described as medium-to-large, nonvenomous snakes that kill by constriction. They pose no threat to humans.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a snake seen in the Templehall Avenue area of Kirkcaldy shortly after 5pm on Monday, 18 October.
“The animal was safely recovered by officers and the Scottish SPCA was made aware.”
Snakes are ‘escape artists’
Scottish SPCA inspector Nicola Liddell said, “We were contacted by Police Scotland after they uplifted a stray snake from the Templehall area of Kirkcaldy in the early evening of October 18.”
She added: “Snakes are somewhat notorious for being escape artists and can find tiny spaces in their enclosure to squeeze through.
“We will now hold the snake for seven days at one of our animal rescue and rehoming centres to give the animal’s owner a chance to reclaim their pet. If no one comes forward the snake will be rehomed.”
Nicola said that encountering an exotic snake is highly unusual.
She said: “If anyone does come across a non-native snake then they should not approach it and contact our animal helpline immediately on 03000 999 999.”
Earlier this year a snake that went missing was discovered in it’s owners own garden.
Escaped python in Kirkcaldy found hiding safely in owner’s garden