Woman in Thailand liberated following prolonged strangulation by a python
A 64-year-old lady named Arom was washing dishes at her home, situated on the outskirts of Bangkok, when she felt multiple bites on her leg. She shared this in a video recorded by the police, which was obtained by CNN. "The snake just lunged and bit me," she stated.
The python then wrapped itself around her, causing her to fall to the ground. For two hours, she tried to untangle herself from the snake's tightening coils with no success, as per the police.
She yelled for help, but initially, no one responded. It was only later that one of her neighbors heard her distress calls and sought help from the police.
Upon arriving, the police were stunned to find the woman bound on the floor, with the python entwined around her. "The snake was monstrously large," stated Police Major Sergeant Anusorn Wongmalee from the Phra Samut Chedi Police Station in Samut Prakan, a province situated south of Bangkok.
The police recorded footage of Arom seated on the floor of a small, dark room, ensnared by the python's coils around her waist.
It took rescuers approximately 30 minutes to free her after which she was taken to the hospital for treatment, according to the police.
The snake managed to escape post-rescue, police mentioned, adding "We couldn't capture it."
Thailand is home to 250 different species of snakes, featuring three types of pythons - reticulated, Burmese and Blood, as reported by Thai National Parks.
Pythons themselves do not possess venom, but they kill by suffocation. They coil themselves around their prey, tighten their coils to constrict blood flow, and then consume their victim whole.
Thailand's National Health Security office reported that approximately 12,000 individuals were treated for venomous snake and animal bites last year. During the same period, 26 individuals lost their lives due to snake bites, according to official records.
The incident involving Arom isn't the first snake-related incident in the country to garner international attention recently. Previously, a man suffered a python bite to his testicle while using the bathroom.
He managed to survive by striking the snake with a cleaning brush before summoning a security guard for help in extricating it, as per local media.
The python incident in Thailand has raised concerns globally about the dangerous wildlife in Asia. Despite Thailand being home to numerous snake species, including pythons, the World Health Organization reports over 1.8 million snakebites annually worldwide, with Asia contributing to a significant number of these cases.
