Texas naturalist Andrew Austin went into a store for beer and found a ribbon snake tucked inside a Coors Light six-pack, according to Outdoors.
For the cold-blooded reptile, the bizarre discovery may have been life-saving.
Here's what to know
Austin recorded the rescue along with his conversation with a clerk and another employee.
In the video, he tells them the ribbon snake is nonvenomous, carries the six-pack outside, and says he still intends to buy the beer.
Austin reached in and removed the snake by hand and said he would relocate it once it had warmed up.
Austin carried the six-pack outside so the rescue could happen away from the store aisle. He reassured the clerk and another employee that the snake was not dangerous to people.
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The incident was a reminder that unexpected wildlife encounters are occurring more often.
According to the BBC, a bevy of human-driven pressures — including rising temperatures, habitat encroachment, urban sprawl, and land development — are rapidly increasing the rate of encounters between people and animals.
"The chances of this happening to a reptile-loving naturalist gotta be pretty slim," Austin wrote on Instagram.
Where can I learn more?
The beer-cooler rescue isn't the only odd snake encounter to make headlines.
• A homeowner's apology to a backyard garter snake sparked a wave of snake-friendly yard tips.
• In Australia, a snake catcher was devastated after a red-bellied black snake was killed.
• Across the Mid-South, snake calls surged 50% as experts warned about openings.
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