- Robert Nababan, 37, was on his way home when he discovered 23ft-long python
- The reptile had cornered two terrified pedestrians so he bravely fought it off
- But the animal bit him and the two were locked in a battle to the death
An Indonesian man has won an exhausting fight to the death with a 23ft-long python which left him with horrific injuries.
Brave Robert Nababan, 37, was on his way home from work when he saw two pedestrians blocked from crossing a road by a giant snake.
He dived in and became locked into a bloody battle with the snake as it sunk its teeth into his arm.
An Indonesian man has won an exhausting fight to the death with a 23ft-long python which left him with horrific injuries
Brave Robert Nababan (left), 37, was on his way home from work when he saw two pedestrians blocked from crossing a road by a giant snake. The python, now deceased, has been put on display in the local village
They wrestled in the middle of the road in the Riau Province of Indonesia where the terrified pedestrians could only look on.
The security guard, who works on a palm oil plantation in the Indragiri Hulu Regency area of the country, is now fighting for his life in hospital.
Speaking from his bed, he said: ‘I tried to catch it. It bit my arm, and we wrestled for a while.’
Local media reports the tale of his epic mortal combat was cut short when his family asked journalists to leave the hospital so he could rest.
He is thought to have won the fight and killed the snake though it is not known how. The snake’s body is shown in pictures strung across his village like a washing line.
He suffered deep wounds to his left arm and hand and was suffering from exhaustion as the fight went on for ‘some time’.
The unlucky python was left on display in the village – hanging across a washing line.
Indonesian media noted an encounter with a similarly huge snake in March had gone much worse for a West Sulawesi man, who was found dead in the reptile’s stomach.