A 32-year-old snake handler was bitten by a python while filming a video in Everglades National Park in Florida. Nick Bishop is a reptile enthusiast from Los Angeles who nearly lost his eye after a 3-foot-long python bit his face in a video.
In the shocking clip, Nick, who calls himself ‘The Wrangler’, can be seen holding the Burmese python — native to Southeast Asia — as he goes on about his wild find to the camera. The reptile makes repeated lunges at him, sinking his fangs into Nick’s arms a few times to defend itself as Nick tells his viewers, “he is munching me,” calling it “a naughty little snake.”
But suddenly, the snake takes Nick by surprise when it lurches towards his eye while he is talking to the camera, sinking his fangs above his eyes, into his eyebrow and narrowly missing his eyeball. Blood can be seen pouring from above his eye, covering his whole face red. Despite the fatal attack, he tries to play off and jokes by saying, “Well, we call that a love bite.”
He later explains that he captured the snake as fast as he could and took out his camera to film when he was a bit. “That sucker got me good and it almost took my eye out.”
He adds, he knew that the snake would strike because that’s what they do, but he didn’t think it would attack his face until it was too late.
Nick admits that usually, he doesn’\’t film himself because of the risk of getting bitten and considers himself lucky as it could have been worse. He explains how snakes don’t use their energy on humans and conserve it to hunt and survive. He clarifies that there’s a misconception about snakes that they attack and chase people, but in reality, each time he has been bitten is because the snake was being defensive. He shares that’s why he wants to bring some understanding about the animals that he loves.
The Burmese python is a non-venomous reptile that preys on native Florida species of mammals, birds and mammals.