[bbfan1991]

A 19ft (5.7m) python has been found in a charity shop in Queensland, Australia.



Staff reported a suspected burglary to the police on Monday (July 8) after they found a hole in the ceiling and goods scattered all over the store, but the real culprit was discovered the following day when the snake was spotted lying by the wall, reports the Huffington Post.

Police Sergeant Don Auld said: "Its head was the size of a small dog."

Authorities were previously confused by a pool of liquid the snake left on the floor and had initially assumed that the intruder had vomited during the break-in.

"We thought a person had fallen through the ceiling because the roof panel was cut in half," Auld said.

"When they've hit the floor, they've vomited and then staggered and fallen over. That's what we thought anyway."

The reptile, which weighed 17kg (37lbs), has been released in nearby wetlands.

Last week, an employee at a post office in France was shocked to find a python in one of the parcels.