A man attacked by a 10ft python saved himself by biting the snake to death – then villagers ate the remains.
Boljulio Aleria was riding his motorcycle down a rural road in the town of Antequera in Bohol province, the Philippines, when the enormous reptile slid into his path.
The 48-year-old stopped to let it pass, but instead of carrying on the python attacked him.
WARNING: This article contains graphic images.
It sank its fangs into his wrist and wrapped its body around his waist trying to constrict him.
Fearing for his life, Boljulio grabbed the snake’s head with with his free hand and bit its neck, before tearing off skin and chunks of flesh.
Eventually, after an excruciating 10 minutes, the python let go and went limp.
Feeling dizzy from blood loss, Boljulio managed to stagger to a house nearby, where someone called an ambulance.
He was treated at Governor Celestino Gallares Medical Hospital in Tagbilaran City and has been allowed to go home with antibiotics.
Speaking to local media, he said: ‘I was on my motorcycle and I stopped because it was on the road and I wanted it to cross. But I was surprised because it attacked me.
‘It bit my hand and I let go of the motorcycle. Then its tail looped around my waist. It happened so fast.
‘I thought I was going to die if I didn’t fight back. And I thought that my only chance was to bite its neck so it would loosen a little bit.
‘I bit it until its skin peeled off. And when the skin peeled off, I bit on its flesh. It was only then that it loosened. I was already feeling dizzy because I lost so much blood.’
The reptile’s teeth had miraculously not punctured any important arteries in his wrist.
Snake is a common dish in the Philippines, so the python’s remains were enjoyed by villagers, who grilled it over a fire.
The reticulated python is found throughout south-east Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, where it’s not uncommon for humans to come across them.
The species is one of the world’s largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.
Incredibly, just last month, another man also saved his own life by biting his animal attacker.
This time it was Australian cattle herder Colin Deveraux, who bit a crocodile’s eyelid after the massive reptilian shot out of a lake, grabbed his foot and tried todrag him into the water.
The crocodile let go as a result, and Colin, who’s in his 60s, was taken to hospital, where he received a skin graft to his foot.
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