An Austrian man got an unpleasant and unusual surprise on Monday morning when a snake bit his genitals as he was using the toilet.
The 65-year-old victim felt “a ‘tweak’ in the area of genitals” around 6 a.m. shortly after sitting on the toilet in his Graz home, according to a press release from local Austrian police. When the man looked in the toilet bowl to investigate, he saw an albino python measuring over 5-feet long looking back at him. The snake belonged to his 24-year-old neighbor, a reptile enthusiast whose nearby apartment also contained 10 other snakes and a gecko. Police said that it was not clear how the snake had escaped from its terrarium, but that it “possibly entered the toilet via the sewer system.”
The unnamed victim was transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated for what were described as “minor injuries.” Pythons are not venomous snakes, killing their prey with constriction instead. However, bites from the snakes can be extremely painful and carry additional risks because some of the animals may be disease carriers.
The snake belonged to his 24-year-old neighbor, a reptile enthusiast whose nearby apartment also contained 10 other snakes and a gecko. Police said that it was not clear how the snake had escaped from its terrarium, but that it “possibly entered the toilet via the sewer system.”
The unnamed victim was transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated for what were described as “minor injuries.” Pythons are not venomous snakes, killing their prey with constriction instead. However, bites from the snakes can be extremely painful and carry additional risks because some of the animals may be disease carriers.
Police called on reptile expert Werner Stangl to remove the snake after the biting incident took place. Stangl told Austrian paper Kronen Zeitung that rescuing the snake from the toilet was a difficult task, especially while taking care to avoid injuring the python.
Emergency workers were asked to leave the bathroom before the toilet rescue operation took place over fears that vibrations could scare the snake. The reptile attempted to resist Stangl by tensing its muscles and pressing itself against the toilet. It was eventually removed before being cleaned off and returned home.
Authorities are investigating the python’s owner, who was reportedly “shocked” by the incident, for potential negligent assault charges. Although the decision was made to return the snake to its owner, local veterinary authorities could eventually reach a different decision.Newsweek reached out to the Austrian embassy in Washington, D.C. for comment and additional information. By:newsweek