Man finds dead snake in Christmas wreath after noticing smell like 'rotten fish'
Reptile was a non-venomous grass snake
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man has told of his horror at finding a dead snake in his family's Christmas wreath after noticing a smell like “rotten fish”.
Karl Gaskell and his wife Nicki, from Castletown on the Isle of Man, purchased the natural holiday decoration, made from branches and straw, from a Co-op supermarket.
However, shortly after hanging the wreath, the couple and their two daughters noticed a strange smell emanating from the decor and upon closer inspection, saw grey scaly bulges poking out from the frame of the decoration.
At that point, Gaskell cut open the straw holding the wreath to find a dead grass snake.
It is thought that the snake crawled into the straw to hibernate before the stalks were collected and squashed up to make into the £12 decoration.
“I don't know what compelled me to put my nose up to the wreath after I spotted these strange grey scales, but I did,” Gaskell recalled. “You could tell it was some kind of dead animal - a reptile, not a mammal.”
According to the father-of-two, his first concern was the possibility that the snake was poisonous, as “poisonous snakes remain poisonous long after they've died” - so he sought help from the Natural History Museum.
Fortunately, the dead snake was identified as a non-venomous Natrix natrix, or grass snake, according to the museum, which informed the family that these snakes hibernate in straw piles.
"They do hibernate in straw piles and I see fresh cereal straw in your photo,” the email from the museum said. “You may find sources calling the British grass snakes Natrix helvetica, after a recent split (2017).
In response to the incident, the supermarket told Gaskell it would be talking to its supplier to “find out how this has happened”.
“I can only imagine how upset you must have felt and I really am sorry,” a spokesperson said. "We want our products to be the best they can be and for you to find what you did is not good enough. We will refer this to our suppliers and also make our technical team aware.”
In a separate statement, the company expressed its shock and said “this is not something we have previously experienced”.
Since the incident, the family has vowed never to get another Christmas wreath.
"We were just super unlucky I think, because it was the first wreath we'd bought ever,” Gaskell said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments