There goes our snake-free status

Workers at a Rangiora supermarket have been given a fright after finding a snake in a box of bananas from Ecuador. Ministry of Primary Industries were notified about a dead snake at the New World store on May 10. An MPI snake specialist formally identified the 20.7cm reptile as a juvenile Leptodeira ornata, commonly known as an ornate cat-eyed snake, found in South America. But what is a Leptodeira ornata, I hear you ask? A Leptodeira ornata is a mildly venomous rear-fanged snake that can inflict a painful bite if provoked, but it is not regarded as dangerous to humans. It's also a strictly tropical species that would not be able to survive a New Zealand winter and could not naturalise here. But even so, snakes don’t belong in New Zealand. Or Ireland. Or Hawaii. If I left any others out, please let me know.