Austrian man on toilet bitten by neighbour’s python

A man in Austria was bitten by a 1.6-metre (5.25-foot) python during an early-morning visit to the toilet at his home on Monday, police said.

The reptile, which apparently escaped from a neighbour’s flat and may have slithered through the drains, was cleaned and handed back to its owner.

The 65-year-old victim “felt a ‘nip’ in the genital area” soon after sitting on the toilet at home in Graz just after 6am, according to a statement from police in Styria province. He then looked into the toilet and discovered the albino reticulated python.

The snake apparently had escaped unnoticed from the flat of the man’s 24-year-old neighbour. It was not immediately possible to ascertain out how the snake escaped and got into the toilet, but police said it may have made its way through the drains.

A reptile expert was called to retrieve the snake, which was returned to its owner. Police said the younger man kept 11 non-venomous constrictor snakes and a gecko in his flat, in terrariums and drawers. He faces an investigation on suspicion of causing bodily harm by negligence.

The victim sustained only minor injuries, police said.