'I thought I was going to die if I didn't fight back': Filipino man bites python to death after it attacked him

A man in the Philippines fought off a python that had attacked him by biting into the serpent and killing it.

Boljulio Aleria, 48, was riding his motorcycle through Antequera in Bohol province, an island east of Cebu, when a 3m-long snake emerged from the grass in the early hours of the morning on Dec 20, reported the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The newspaper quoted Aleria as telling local TV media: "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."

He said the snake had bitten his arm and hand.

"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," he added.

Using his free hand, Aleria grabbed the creature's head and sank his teeth into its neck.

"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," he said, adding that he spent about 10 minutes tearing away at chunks of the snake's flesh until it died.

Following the attack, Aleria was able to walk to a nearby house to seek medical help and was taken to the Governor Celestino Gallares Medical Hospital in Tagbilaran City, where he was treated for his injuries.

Pictures from the hospital showed Aleria with a bandaged, bloody arm and blood on his face.

Doctors prescribed him antibiotics and have since discharged him so he can recover at home.

The snake had the rest of its body grilled and eaten by villagers, according to Aleria.

ALSO READ: Escaped kangaroo captured after punching Canadian officer

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.