BAK
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 11, 2007
- 124,790
- 288,005
Six-foot python found in Australian toilet
By Charlotte Bailey
Last Updated: 2:53PM BST 21/06/2008
Horrified tenants of an Australian apartment block were left squirming after discovering a six foot python in their loo.
The black-headed python is thought to be an escaped pet
Residents of the 10th floor apartment in the upmarket Cullen Bay complex in Darwin got the shock of their lives when the slimy reptile slithered out of the toilet bowl and on to the bathroom floor.
It is believed the snake had been lurking in the plumbing of the building for some time.
Darwin's famous reptile wrangler Chris Peberdy, who rescued the scaly beast, said that even he was surprised that the snake had chosen to take up residence in such a stinky place.
"When I saw it I was pretty shocked," Peberdy told the Northern Territory News. "It's one thing to have a green frog in the toilet but not a six foot python. It would certainly scare you if it came up from the depths of the toilet.
"I had to give him a good wash as he was wet and a bit smelly."
Mr Peberdy said the snake, a black-headed python which was as thick as a person's wrist, was likely to be a runaway pet that had travelled through the pipes after escaping a neighbour's home.
He said: "Black-headed pythons are quite rare in the Darwin area, but they are popular in captivity. They are a prized pet and are quite valuable."
He added that this snake had had a lucky escape but warned that snake owners should keep their reptiles secured in appropriate cages or their pet could face a much bleaker end.
"This could have ended in disaster. The snake could have been killed and chopped up into little pieces."
By Charlotte Bailey
Last Updated: 2:53PM BST 21/06/2008
Horrified tenants of an Australian apartment block were left squirming after discovering a six foot python in their loo.
The black-headed python is thought to be an escaped pet
Residents of the 10th floor apartment in the upmarket Cullen Bay complex in Darwin got the shock of their lives when the slimy reptile slithered out of the toilet bowl and on to the bathroom floor.
It is believed the snake had been lurking in the plumbing of the building for some time.
Darwin's famous reptile wrangler Chris Peberdy, who rescued the scaly beast, said that even he was surprised that the snake had chosen to take up residence in such a stinky place.
"When I saw it I was pretty shocked," Peberdy told the Northern Territory News. "It's one thing to have a green frog in the toilet but not a six foot python. It would certainly scare you if it came up from the depths of the toilet.
"I had to give him a good wash as he was wet and a bit smelly."
Mr Peberdy said the snake, a black-headed python which was as thick as a person's wrist, was likely to be a runaway pet that had travelled through the pipes after escaping a neighbour's home.
He said: "Black-headed pythons are quite rare in the Darwin area, but they are popular in captivity. They are a prized pet and are quite valuable."
He added that this snake had had a lucky escape but warned that snake owners should keep their reptiles secured in appropriate cages or their pet could face a much bleaker end.
"This could have ended in disaster. The snake could have been killed and chopped up into little pieces."
