Now, to snakes on a train, or a train set to be more precise, which was making news last week:
EDWINA BARTHOLOMEW: A Queensland reptile wrangler has rescued a snake from a model train set. Residents called the snake catcher to the property after a venomous visitor was spotted napping inside the tunnel …
– The Morning Show, Network Seven, 13 August 2025
Crikey!
Not the ideal place for a snake, you’d think.
And in a fun or terrifying twist, would you believe:
MARK FERGUSON:Â He initially thought it was made of rubber.
STUART MCKENZIE: There he is, have a go at that, ‘ey, in amongst the train set.
– Seven News 6pm (Sydney), 13 August 2025Â
Snakes in train sets, pretty unusual right?
Ten News explained though:
ANGELA BISHOP: Daytime temperatures in Queensland have been warming up and that means more snakes …Â
– 10 News Lunchtime, 13 August 2025
Lucky then the snake wrangler was called out to coax the little guy out of his hidey hole.
But we reckon snakes must be quite the rail enthusiasts, because Sky News was reporting a strikingly similar story three years ago:
STUART MCKENZIE:  … There he is, have a go at that, ‘ey, in amongst the train set …
– Sky News Australia, 15 Nov 2022
So actually, not news, at all.
It turns out, this vision was from not 2025, but 2022, then re-posted last week with a fun caption, sure to catch the eye of some time-strapped producer:
CHOO CHOO! A snake in the model train set!Â
Call us anytime …
– Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, Facebook, 11 August 2025Â
Which nobody did, because the snake catchers tells us not one media outlet actually rang to verify when this video was actually shot.
And why did the snake catchers repost the video? Â
Snake catcher, Summer Woolston, told us:
In the winter the snakes are a little less active. … so sometimes when we are low on content we reuse one of our videos.
– Phone, Summer Woolston, Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, 15 August, 2025
Look, we love a good snake video as much as the next person, but can we offer just one piece of advice—the next time a tantalising piece of content slithers its way into your social feed, reporters might like to at least make a phone call to make sure the news is, in fact, news.