An Australian woman was rescued from a massive carpet python's "vice-like grip" after finding the snake in her home on Thursday.
The woman from Stamford Valley—a town in eastern Australia's Queensland state—called emergency services yesterday evening. Officers arrived at her home just after 7 p.m. local time, Queensland Police said in a statement.
The homeowner said she first noticed the snake while working in her garage. Her cat had spotted the serpent under her car and cornered the reptile.
The woman tried to rescue the snake but in the process the serpent managed to wrap itself around her right leg, just above her ankle, and wouldn't budge. The snake was estimated to measure between 6 and 9 feet long, the Australian Associated Press reported.
Queensland Police released bodycam video of the incident on Friday showing how officers helped the woman to free the snake.
"You're in a bit of a pickle," one female officer said to the woman upon arriving at the house and seeing the snake.
"If I had a friend over I could've sorted it," the woman said.
The officers then began to unwind the python, which had a "vice-like grip" on her leg, Queensland Police said.
"C'mon little guy, I know you're not happy with me," one of the officers said in the video as she was untangling the snake.
Carpet pythons (Morelia spilota) are commonly found throughout northern, eastern and southern Australia, living in open forests, rainforests, coastal areas, rural areas, parks and suburban gardens.
The species, which is non-venomous, can grow to more than 10 feet in length. Like other pythons, Morelia spilota kills its prey—usually small mammals, birds and lizards—by constriction.
On a *scale* of no worries to HELL NO, which would you be in this sssscenario? 🐍 pic.twitter.com/QVw01MTngL
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) October 16, 2020
This technique involves the snake wrapping itself around the prey and gradually squeezing the animal to death with its powerful muscles, before consuming it whole.
Australia is home to 15 python species, which is more than a third of the world's total.
In the video posted by Queensland Police, the Stamford Valley woman with the snake wrapped around her leg apologized to officers for calling them out, saying: "I'm so sorry guys."
But the officers didn't appear to mind too much, with one saying: "It's the most interesting job we've had all day."
Eventually, the officers managed to completely remove the snake and the woman calmly picked the creature up, before releasing it into some bushes.
![carpet python](https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/1653738/carpet-python.png?w=1200&f=b94c6155024296bbd105fc39965f25ec)
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Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more