Austrian man bitten by neighbour's python while on the toilet

A man in Austria has been bitten by his neighbour's python during an early-morning visit to the toilet, police said.

The 1.6-metre long reptile had apparently escaped from the neighbour’s apartment and may have slithered through the drains to the next house.

According to a statement, the 65-year-old victim "felt a pinch in the genital area" shortly after sitting on the toilet at his home in Graz just after 06:00 CEST.

He then looked into the toilet and discovered the albino reticulated python. The snake had reportedly escaped unnoticed from the apartment of the man’s 24-year-old neighbour.

A reptile expert was called to retrieve the snake, which was cleaned and had been handed back to its owner, police in Styria province added.

Police said the man kept eleven non-venomous constrictor snakes and a gecko in his apartment, in terrariums and drawers. He faces an investigation on suspicion of causing bodily harm by negligence.

The victim sustained only minor injuries and was examined at a hospital to rule out possible infection.

In July last year, a German man was admitted to hospital after being bitten on the tongue by a snake at a bachelor party in the Austrian Alps.

Local authorities reported that the victim had been dared to touch the baby viper with his tongue by partygoers, who may have confused the young snake with a worm.