“It Was Like Being Crushed by a Car“: Man Recounts Harrowing Escape from Giant Python
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – A tranquil afternoon of birdwatching turned into a primal fight for survival for one British tourist, who narrowly escaped the deadly coils of what experts believe was a reticulated python measuring over 20 feet long.
Ian MacLeod, a 54-year-old amateur naturalist from Scotland, is recovering in a local hospital, nursing fractured ribs, deep lacerations, and severe bruising after the terrifying encounter in the dense jungle of Taman Negara National Park.
“One moment, I was focusing my binoculars on a hornbill,” MacLeod said from his hospital bed, his voice still hoarse. “The next, I was on the ground. It was like being hit by a train made of muscle. There was no sound, just a sudden, immense pressure.”
MacLeod had ventured slightly off a marked trail on Tuesday to get a clearer picture of the bird when the snake, perfectly camouflaged among the forest floor’s leaf litter, struck. It wasn’t the bite that was the primary threat, but the immediate and powerful act of constriction.
“It had my leg in its mouth, but the real danger was the body,” he explained. “It wrapped around my waist and chest in a second. I could hear my own ribs creaking, and every time I exhaled, it squeezed tighter. The air was just gone. I genuinely thought, ‘This is it. This is how I die.’”
The snake, an ambush predator, likely mistook the lone hiker for its usual prey, such as a deer or wild boar. As MacLeod felt his vision begin to tunnel from lack of oxygen, instinct and a flash of memory took over. He recalled a documentary he had watched about surviving wild animal attacks and remembered the small, serrated survival knife he kept in his camera bag, which was slung over his shoulder.
In a desperate, adrenaline-fueled struggle, he managed to work one arm free. “My arm felt like it was on fire, the pressure was immense. I fumbled for the zipper, my fingers feeling useless and numb,” he recounted. “I finally got hold of the knife and just started stabbing blindly backward, anywhere I could reach.”
He struck the massive reptile repeatedly. After what felt like an eternity, the crushing pressure finally loosened. The python, wounded and likely shocked by the fightback, uncoiled and retreated into the dense undergrowth, leaving a bloodied and gasping MacLeod on the jungle floor.
Despite his injuries, he managed to stagger back to the main trail, where he was found by another group of hikers who alerted park rangers.
Dr. Hafiz bin Ahmad, a herpetologist at the University of Malaya, commented that such attacks are exceedingly rare but not unheard of. “A reticulated python of that size is an apex predator, one of the few animals in this ecosystem capable of killing and consuming a human,” Dr. Ahmad stated. “Mr. MacLeod is extraordinarily lucky. The snake likely misidentified him as prey. His ability to access a weapon, no matter how small, was the critical factor that saved his life. Fighting back is not something their usual prey does.”
Park officials have temporarily closed the trail where the incident occurred and are advising visitors to remain in groups and stick to designated paths.
For MacLeod, the experience has left a permanent mark. “You read about these things, but you can’t comprehend the power. It’s a force of nature that is beyond words,” he said, shaking his head. “I have a newfound respect for the jungle. I was a visitor in its home, and I forgot that for a moment. I won’t make that mistake again.”
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