A Goodwill store in Virginia recently received a box of donated items — but found something inside they never expected.
An employee at the Stafford, Virginia Goodwill received a box of donated books, but got quite a shock after discovering that there was something very unexpected inside: a four-foot-long snake!
People donate all kinds of things to Goodwill, but the snake definitely must have come as a surprise. It’s not clear what kind of snake it was.
The employee called for help, and Animal Control Captain J.A. Bice happened to be nearby. He was able to safely catch the snake and release it back into the wild, according to a social media post that made references to Harry Potter.
“[Captain Bice] was nearby and responded quicker than any Seeker could,” the post reads. “Using his powers of persuasion, and a bit of Parseltongue, Captain Bice was able to safely remove the snake and release it back into the wild.”
“No snakes, employees, or deputies were harmed during the incident.”
It doesn’t seem that the snake was intentionally donated or placed in the box; rather it’s likely that the snake saw the box as a cool place to hide.
“With the rise in temperatures recently everyone is trying to beat the heat, even the local wildlife,” the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office wrote.
It’s not the first time an animal has unexpectedly been donated to a thrift store: in 2022 a family donated a recliner, not realizing that their pet cat was hiding inside.
This must have been quite a surprise for that Goodwill employee, but we’re glad everything worked out and the snake was released back into the wild!
Please share this story!
