- Boljulio Aleria was bitten by a python before he turned around and bit it back
A man survived a terrifying python attack by biting the 10ft snake to death – before villagers could feast on its remains.
Boljulio Aleria, 48, was riding his motorcycle through Antequera in Bohol province, the Philippines, when the huge snake emerged from grassland and blocked his path.
He stopped and waited for the serpent to pass, but was shocked when it slithered toward him instead in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The reptile sank its teeth into his arm as it wrapped around his waist trying to constrict him.
‘It bit my hand and I let go of the motorcycle,’ Aleria told local media from a hospital bed. ‘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.’
Despite being dizzy from blood loss, Aleria managed to trudge toward the nearest house to call for medics.
‘I was already feeling dizzy because I lost so much blood,’ he said.
Paramedics rushed him to the Governor Celestino Gallares Medical Hospital in Tagbilaran City for treatment.
The snake’s fangs had pierced his wrist, but luckily missed puncturing important arteries.
Pictures from hospital showed Aleria with a bandaged, bloody arm and blood on his face.
The survivor said the snake’s remains were eaten by villagers, who grilled the snake over a fire. Snake is a common dish in the country.
Doctors have prescribed antibiotics for his injuries and have allowed him to go home from the hospital.
The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans.
Pythons will usually lunge at their prey to bite before mounting physical pressure to crush and constrict.
The species is one of the world’s largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.
As a rule they do not pursue human beings, but may lash out defensively if threatened or if they mistake a human for something else.
Last year, a 54-year-old grandmother was eaten alive by a 22ft python in nearby Indonesia.
Jahrah, 54, vanished on Friday night in woodland near her family home in Jambi province, on the western island of Sumatra.
Locals sent out search parties and two days later found a huge snake in a forest clearing with a swollen stomach, and when they cut it open found her body inside.
The head of the village said at the time it would likely have taken two hours for the woman to die, from the snake biting down to pin her in place before wrapping around her quickly to suffocate.
The official said: ‘The victim did not come home after saying goodbye to her family to go to the garden collecting rubber from trees on Friday.’
He added: ‘Residents killed the snake and dissected its stomach. Everyone was astonished.
‘It turned out that the woman we were looking for was in the snake’s stomach.’
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
