Firefighters Cut Off Snake's Neck To Save Woman's Life

A woman in Sheffield Lake, Ohio, made a 9-1-1 call Thursday after a 5 1/2-foot long boa constrictor proceeded to wrap itself around her neck, according to reports. The snake, which she rescued the day before, also repeatedly bit the woman's face.

The Sheffield Lake Fire Department (SLFD) and Police Department (SLPD) reportedly arrived at the scene within minutes of the call, finding the woman lying in her driveway as the snake was wrapped around her neck, biting her face.

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According to Fox 8 News in Cleveland, the woman called the SLPD to report the incident. "I have a boa constrictor stuck to my face," she told the dispatcher. The dispatcher responded to her claim with a question: "You have a boa constrictor stuck to your face?"

She requested for the SLPD to hurry because the snake was biting her nose. The dispatcher claimed that they had "never heard of this before."

Firefighters were forced to cut off the boa constrictor's head with a pocket knife, a precaution used to quickly protect the owner. The woman, who remains unidentified, was promptly placed into to an ambulance that transported her to a local hospital for treatment. She acquired injuries that were not life-threatening, according to Fox 8 News.

"The snake wouldn't release," Sheffield Lake Fire Lt. Wes Mariner told Cleveland.com Friday. "Because of how close it was wrapped around her, there were no other options, from what I understand."

The victim is no stranger to slithering reptiles. The boa constrictor that attacked her was one of 11 that she's rescued, which all reside in her Sheffield Lake home. She owns two boa constrictors, with the remaining nine snakes being pythons.

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Boa constrictors are non-venomous snakes, but they are known for the way in which they vanquish their prey. The slithering reptile resorts to squeezing or constricting their victim, which will ultimately result in the prey's death, according to Life Science.

There is a misconception about the method boa constrictors use to kill its prey, being asphyxiation. The Verge debunked this myth in 2015, reporting that the snake will cut off their prey's blood flow to make for a quicker death.

Boa constrictors are among the longest snakes worldwide but still falling behind anacondas and pythons. A boa constrictor can be as long as 13 feet and could weigh up to 60 pounds.

Boa constrictors are also commonly sold in pet stores worldwide though they are not considered to be intentionally aggressive pets. However, they can and have had the ability to kill humans.

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