A Thai man is recovering from a bloody encounter with a 3 metre python that slithered through the plumbing of his home and latched its jaws onto his penis as he was using a squat toilet.
Attaporn Boonmakchuay was smiling as Thai television stations interviewed him in his hospital bed about the intimate intrusion.
But photos of his blood-splattered bathroom in Chachoengsao province, east of Bangkok, were testimony to his ordeal.
The 38-year-old told Thai TV Channel 7 that he struggled to the remove the snake for 30 minutes before he managed to free himself with help from his wife and a neighbour.
"I called my wife and she went to get the neighbour," he said. "It took about a minute for the neighbour to get here.
"And all of a sudden, while I was holding it, it began to lose some strength so I used my hand to prise open its mouth. Then the snake released its grip by itself."
They had tied a rope around the snake as Attaporn forced its jaws open. He then passed out.
Doctors said Attaporn suffered a 3cm wound which needed stitches, but he should make a full recovery.
"I think he's lucky," hospital director Dr Chutima Pinchareon said. "We have to watch for infection. If there's none and if the wound is healing well he should be able to go home.
"But if the bite had gone into the urinary tract it would have been a big problem."
Rescue workers removed the snake from the toilet, using hammers to break the piping, and released it.
Large snakes are common in Thailand, even in urban areas, especially at the onset of the rainy season when they flee flooded fields for drier ground.
