Avi Aharon found a 1.63 meter viper in his warehouse. PHOTO: Mako News.

Avi Aharon was following his daily routine when he entered his warehouse in Moshav Tzippor in the lower Galilee recently, only to be surprised by an enormous viper that suddenly emerged from between the logs, Israel’s Walla reported.

“We have logs in the warehouse for firewood,” said Aharon, “suddenly I heard a snake, and when I jumped back, I saw it was huge.”

“It was just like an anaconda!” he said. “It was a huge viper, almost 1.63 meters in length.” Recalling those harrowing moments in the warehouse, Aharon said, “I had a few seconds to react and hit the snake on the head with a spade. I knew I might die on the spot, and that I wouldn’t even arrive at a hospital in time if it bit my hand. I still cannot believe that I am alive.”

The snake found in Aharon’s warehouse was one of the largest ever discovered in the country. A fully-grown viper reaches 1.2-1.3 meters at most, yet this viper at 1.6 meters was exceptional and very rare, according to Moshe Golan, a veteran snake catcher cited by Israel’s Channel 2.

Not only was the size surprising, but also the time in which the snake appeared. “The snakes are usually dormant at this time of year, but about ten percent of snakes emerge from their hiding places when the weather occasionally heats up,” said Golan. “The rest are expected to leave their holes towards the end of April, so now there is no reason to worry.”