Op-shoppers at Capalaba on Queensland's Redland coast got more than they bargained for when a snake was found making itself at home among a selection of donated handbags.
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The carpet python gave one customer an almighty fright before good Samaritan Thomas Robinson stepped in to wrangle the intruder with his bare hands.
The Capalaba local was op-shopping with his mother on Monday when he helped remove the python from the store.
He believes the snake is a pet that was accidentally dropped off with some second-hand goods and is now attempting to track down its owner.
"I was at the op-shop with my mum and a lady screamed and ran out of the shop. Everyone was saying 'what's going on?'," Mr Robinson said.
"I sort of just thought it was a cockroach or something at first but no, it turned out to be a snake."
Photos and video from the encounter show Mr Robinson helping the snake from the op-shop shelves, where it had curled up among a collection of handbags.
"The snake was sitting next to a bag that kind of looked like a snake, which made it really hard to see him," Mr Robinson said.
The Capalaba local has extensive experience handling snakes and is also the holder of a specialised wildlife licence.
Mr Robinson said he knew immediately that the carpet python was likely a pet due to its gentle nature.
"When I first grabbed the snake, I was fully prepared for it to be a wild snake," he said.
"But after 30 seconds of having my hands on it, I immediately said 'this is a pet snake'."
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"There were two reasons I knew. The first was that a wild snake will try and bite you, but this one didn't.
"The second reason is that a wild snake always slithers at the ground, but a pet snake slithers to your shoulders.
"If a snake does try to sit on your shoulders, that is a very good indication that it has been hand reared for its entire life."
Those wishing to claim the snake are being asked to provide Mr Robinson with photographic proof and correctly identify the op-shop at which the snake was found.
He can be contacted via email at tjraust1@gmail.com.
