The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon during a routine health check. The experienced keeper, Jake Meney, was taken to the local medical centre where he received antibiotics and medical assessment. 

“Monster bit, I pulled, it tore – I definitely felt her teeth,” he said.

“It was crazy, I had the longest species of snake hanging off my arm.”

Monster the reticulated python measures in at 5.28 metres in length and 53 kilograms in weight. 

“Jake is one of our most experienced keepers here at the park and Monster, despite her name, is generally quite a placid animal,” head of reptiles Daniel Rumsey said.

“Jake and Monster have worked together since Monster was little with Jake building a strong bond with the animal, however this is a reminder that this is a hazard of the job.

“Just as important as Jake's well being, we checked over Monster and she is perfectly fine - it was just a little love bite.”

The incident didn’t stop Mr Meney and the reptiles team jumping back in with Monster on Thursday to ensure their relationship was still intact.

“I had to get back on the horse,” he said.

Found in Southeast Asia, the reticulated python is the world’s longest species of snake and one of the only snakes to be considered true man-eaters.  Not a pleasant death for the reticulated python’s prey; they take their victim by surprise, holding it with sharp teeth and a strong jaw. 

Their teeth are serrated and backward facing, which means once they’re attached to the flesh of their victim, the razor sharp teeth won’t come out.  The snake then constricts the air out of its prey, causing death by suffocation or burst blood vessels. Eating the victim whole, the python may not need to eat again for weeks or even months. Monster usually feasts on goat weighing up to 15 kilograms six times per year.

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