Elderly man bites snake that had wrapped his leg while sleeping: 'felt like I was going to die'

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Elderly man fights off snake by biting it

A horrified pensioner bit a python to free himself when he woke up to find the reptile wrapped around his leg. (Courtesy: ViralPress)

A 68-year-old man woke up in his home to find a snake around his leg, which he bit in self-defense. 

"I was so desperate that I even bit it, but it worked, and I was able to break free," Sarayuth Malachan, a security guard who lives in Thailand, told Viral Press. "It felt like I was going to die while fighting the python."

Malachan woke from his nap due to sharp pain around his ankle on August 21. He found a huge python wrapped from his foot to his knee with its teeth in his flesh. 

The snake, identified as a reticulated python, is common throughout Southeast Asia and ranks as one of the world’s largest snakes, often eating humans, house pets and other snakes. 

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Malachan cried out for help, but when no one responded, he tried to wrestle himself free, which only caused the snake to squeeze tighter. He worried that because no one answered his calls for help, he might actually lose his leg. 

Sarayuth Malachan, a 68-year-old security guard who lives in Thailand, helps measure the snake that bit him. (Viral Press)

With no other options and running out of time, Malachan bit the snake back. 

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The bite caused the snake to loosen its grip, and Malachan was able to finally reach down and grab the snake by the head. After dragging the snake outside, he was able to get help to take the snake to the nearby police station and file a report. 

Thailand authorities bag the snake that bit Sarayuth Malachan. (Viral Press)

Malachan believes the snake entered his home to try and eat the chickens he keeps in the back of his room. 

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Somchai Siharan, who volunteers at the Raumkatanyu Foundation, warned people not to try and wrangle wild snakes by themselves – especially if they have no experience. 

Sarayuth Malachan receives treatment for his snake bites while authorities pin down the offending snake. (Viral Press)

"It can be too dangerous, whether it's a venomous or non-venomous species," Siharan explained. "In this case, the man was lucky that he woke up and was able to deal with this python."

The snakes can work their way around people as they sleep, often without disturbing them until the snake has gotten a strong hold on the person: A 75-year-old woman in Thailand also slept through a snake’s approach until it finally bit her leg in 2019. 

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Kaew Sudsopha’s foot dropped off her bed as the snake entered the room, giving it the chance to climb up and ensnare her. Luckily, her son was in the next room and could help her remove the snake and chase it away. 

"I thought I was having a nightmare," Kaew told Newsflare at the time. ''I don't know why the snake bit me, I was sleeping, not threatening it. Now I'm terrified to sleep in that room again.''