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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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Defra shares new Sanitary and Phytosanitary guidance

News Story 1
 Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.

The agreement, which will change the movement and trade of animals and related products, could see reductions in checks, paperwork and certification. As well as describing regulatory developments, the advice highlights the importance of animal ID, registration and traceability in disease control and other compliance arrangements.

The guidance can be found here. More detail is expected as negotiations progress. 

Click here for more...
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Lords Committee opens Pet Parasite Medication inquiry

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee will launch its inquiry into Pet Parasite Medication (PPM) on Wednesday (3 June).

Focusing on treatments containing fipronil and imidacloprid, the inquiry will seek to understand distribution pathways and the impacts of PPM use and non-use on biodiversity and human health. It will also cover current regulation, monitoring, and the potential implications for pets and their owners.

The committee will hear evidence from environmental non-governmental organisations and research institutes. The public can follow the proceedings live on Parliament TV or in person in the Palace of Westminster.