Look before you sit: Snake in toilet escapes after being spotted

In Singapore, snakes are an occasional — but not unusual — sight in our parks. But when a recent viral clip claimed to show a snake making itself at home in a toilet at Pasir Ris Park, Singaporeans were understandably concerned.

Rest assured, the video does not appear to be filmed at Pasir Ris Park, NParks told Must Share News today (Dec 10), despite various social media posts claiming otherwise.

The clip gained online attention after it was posted in private Facebook group Singapore Hikers on Dec 9.

It was subsequently reposted to pages such as All Singapore Stuff, where it has racked up over 79,000 views and 1,400 shares at the time of writing.

In the 17-second video, a black snake was caught slithering up the side of a toilet bowl.

As the camera approached, the snake paused before quickly retreating back into the depths of the bowl without a trace.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjUOZ-F7j0o&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

A number of netizens fell for the snake news, taking to the comments section to express their alarm.

While the origins of the video remain unclear, Singaporeans can breathe easy.

Cases of snakes turning up in toilet bowls are rare, Kalai Vanan, the deputy chief executive officer of Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) told AsiaOne.

He is "not sure how legitimate this video is", he added. 

However, Acres has come across such cases in the past, said Kalai, explaining that these incidents arise when snakes "somehow find their way into the sewer pipes".

"We urge members of the public to remain calm in such situations and give the animal space and time for it to come out as it will be difficult to extricate the animal otherwise."

Members of the public can also call the Acres 24-hour team at 97837782 or the NParks hotline at 1800-476-1600 for assistance.

ALSO READ: Big python surprises housewife in the loo

kimberlylim@asiaone.com