A drunk man returning home after a night out is lucky to be alive after he got entangled with a six-foot python along the way in China.
The fire department had to break up the do-or-die fight between the man and the wild animal.
When quizzed afterwards about how he came to be in a deadly embrace with the animal, he was said to be too drunk to give a coherent answer, according to authorities.
His friends were, however, able to give the authorities an idea of how the incident happened.
According to them, the drunk man came across the 6.6ft long creature on his way home from their local pub.
Feeling emboldened, the drunk man reportedly decided to tease the large python in front of his friends.
Matters turned south when the reptile grabbed hold of him and held him in its death grip, forcing his friends to call the fire department.
Firefighters arrived on the scene in Huizhou, located north of Hong Kong in China before the animal could squeeze the victim to de@th.
They used catch poles to seize the snake and force it to loosen its grip.
Footage shows the victim trying to move on the ground as the snake coils itself further around his body.
Firefighters are then seen stuffing the captured reptile into a sack.
According to reports, the drunk man refused to be taken to hospital for an examination and left the scene in the company of his friends.
They took the captured python to a secluded spot and released it into the wild the following day.
Watch a clip from the scene here.
