In a recent BBC News article, a man in Thailand got bitten by a python when he went to the toilet. In his statement, the man, Attaporn Boonmakchuay said:
It happened at my home, east of Bangkok. As I was getting ready for work one morning, I felt as though my penis had been severed. The snake was yanking very hard.
You may have reached the conclusion that the incidence happened in an outhouse. Yet, this is far from the case, as it happened in a modern, indoor water closet toilet! But how could that possibly happen? you ask.
The python had slithered through the plumbing and up into his toilet! This is well within the realm of possibility according to an Australian, Geoff Jacobs, who is in the business of catching snakes.
The snakes just follow the trail of the rats, he says. All over the world, rats go down in sewers and the snakes go in there after them. And from there they can find your bathroom.
There’s only a small amount of water in the bottom of your toilet bowl. They come up through a dry pipe and there’s a small bit of water in the S-bend – all the snake has to do is to go down an inch-and-a-half or two inches and straight back up, so its quite easy once they learn how to do it.
Even if you live in a place where snakes are rare, there are always rats to consider. Because as mentioned earlier, rats can be found in sewers around the world, and just like that python, can find their way into your bathroom through the pipes.
If this is the case, how then can you protect yourself?
Protect Yourself, How?
Since you cannot control what gets into the sewers, you simply do that which is within your control. Keep your toilet seats down when not in use, and before using the bathroom, check to be sure you have no visitor waiting for you in the bowl!
Keeping the seat down prevents whatever animal from slithering up the bowl, and into your home. And for boys who are fond of leaving the seat up after use, this is an additional incentive to listen to your mom and sisters to “always keep the seat down!”
