You have snake mail

The plot of the forthcoming Hollywood film Snakes on a Plane might not be as improbable as it seems.

Dutch customs detected a live poisonous snake that was sent by airmail on a flight from Hong Kong to a collector in the Netherlands, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.

Inspectors thought the snake was a gag rubber gift when they first scanned the package, which was labelled "toy goods." But then they scanned it again and saw it move, ministry spokesman Kees Nanninga said.

The snake was a Fea's Viper, found in the forests of southeast Asia. It is rare but not on endangered lists, and known as highly poisonous but not usually aggressive toward humans.

Nanninga said he did not know whether the snake could have posed a threat to passengers, as in the film. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, the movie is due to be released in August and has already generated a huge buzz on the Internet. "It could have escaped," Nanninga said of the intercepted viper.

Although transporting it in an aquarium might have been allowed with the proper permits, it is illegal to put poisonous snakes in the mail, Nanninga said. The snake was packed into a plastic tub with holes in it, inside a cardboard box.

It was being held in a "snake shelter" while authorities track down the intended recipient, Nanninga said.