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Snakes discovered in Queensland toilets
Snake
Look before you sit! Queensland residents were shocked to find snakes in their toilets.
On the hunt for water during dry breeding season

Snake catcher Elliot Budd from Queensland, Australia, was called out to a house in Townsville after a man discovered an enormous python living inside his toilet cistern.

The shocked resident told Mr Budd that the 2.3 meter coastal carpet python had found its way into the bathroom through the ceiling after it had pushed through a vent.

His toilet was not working, so he decided to take the lid off the system, allowing the snake to slither in and mess with the plumbing.

The discovery was made just one week after Elliot had released an enormous python from a toilet also at a house in Townsville.

Tradesmen working on the house came across the three metre reptile coiled up out in the downstairs loo.

"It was about three meters long - definitely one of the biggest I have ever relocated,' Mr Budd told the Daily Mail Australia.

‘They didn’t give me too many details before I arrived so I wasn’t really expecting it to be in the toilet,’ he added.

As Elliot went to touch the python, it quickly retreated and slipped back down through the pipes and into the u-bend.

‘He was really big and really strong so when he tensed up and held himself in there I couldn’t physically pull him out.’

'In the end his head was poking out so i just kept pulling until he eventually started sliding out."

Reptile expert professor Lin Schwarzkopf from James Cook University told the Guardian that it wasn’t usual for snakes to go into toilets.

She said that they liked damp places with objects to hide, but had become more adventurous in the hunt for water during a dry breeding season. 

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.