A Thai resident has told how she struggled with a 20kg (44lb) python in her home for two hours before rescuers were able to free her, Thai media reported.
Arom Arunroj, 64, was bitten several times by the snake, which entered her home in Samut Prakan province, south of Bangkok. She said she was washing dishes at around 8.30 p.m. when she suddenly felt something bite her leg. She said in an interview broadcast by Thai media:
I looked and it turned out to be a snake.
According to Arom, she tried to wrestle with the snake and called for help, but no one heard her. At one point she grabbed the snake’s head hoping it would let go, but it didn’t let go and kept strangling me. Neighbours heard her calls for help and called at 10 p.m., Thai media reported.
Police Sergeant Major Anusorn Wongmali Anusorn said he kicked down Arom’s door after hearing a faint voice coming from inside. He added:
She had probably been strangled for a while, because her skin was pale. It was a python, a big one. I saw a bite mark on her leg, but I knew it could be in other places.
The python was four metres (13 feet) long and weighed more than 20kg. Footage taken by rescuers showed Arom sitting on the floor with the snake coiled around her waist.
Police were joined by members of She Poh Tek Tung Foundation, a rescue organisation, and Arom was taken to hospital for treatment. Pythons are not poisonous, but their bites can cause infections. They kill their victim by wrapping their arms around them and suffocating them.
In 2023, about 12,000 people in Thailand were treated for venomous snake and animal bites, according to the National Health Authority. Last year, 26 people died from snake bites, according to government data.
