An Australian boy survived an encounter with a 10-foot-long python after being bitten, constricted and dragged into a pool by the snake late last week.
Beau Blake, 5, was playing on the edge of an in-ground pool in New South Wales when the python darted out of some brush and bit the child on the ankle, his father, Ben Blake, told Melbourne radio station 3AW on Friday.
“It was instant,” Mr. Blake told the radio hosts. “I saw a big, black shadow come out of the brush, and before they hit the bottom [of the pool], it was completely wrapped around his legs.”
Mr. Blake’s 76-year-old father reacted by diving into the pool and hoisting both Beau and the snake out of the water. That’s when Mr. Blake stepped in and separated his son from the python in about 20 seconds.
Mr. Blake held on to the snake for about 10 minutes after the ordeal while his dad calmed down Beau and his brother, who was playing with Beau when the python attacked. Mr. Blake then released the snake back into the brush.
Beau was able to shake off the incident rather quickly, though his family is still monitoring the bite for an infection.
“He’s such a trooper,” Mr. Blake said. “Once we cleaned up the blood and told him that he wasn’t gonna die because it wasn’t a poisonous snake, he’s actually pretty good.”
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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