A security officer doing his rounds at CQUniversity on Tuesday came face to face with a deadly foe.

A snake, later identified as an Eastern Brown had made its way into a toilet block on campus.

The creature was removed early in the day by Mr Dave Mitchell who is a trained snake handler operating under the Environmental Protection Agency's Damage Mitigation scheme which empowers him to attend and remove reptiles from potentially hazardous situations.

Mr. Mitchell said, "The Eastern Brown is very venomous and is the variety most responsible for bites at this time of year."  He advises, if you discover a snake you should not approach it or in any way excite it, secure the area if possible, and arrange for a responsible person to have the unwelcome visitor removed...
Dave Mitchell with deadly visitor

Whilst there are publications displaying the most common snake varieties, the photographs accompanying each snake should never be taken to be definitive, as snakes, like the Eastern Brown and the Taipan can vary dramatically in colour. Mr. Mitchell was at pains to point out that, on this occasion, even he was mistaken at first, believing the animal was a harmless Keel-back.

Mr. Mitchell added, "Because of the protracted dry season, snakes are looking for water, so may be expected to visit pools, drink from pet bowls, even be attracted to toilet facilities." He said that snakes which are observed in trees, or climbing, are generally harmless tree snakes or pythons.