Bangkok: A Thai man who fought off a three-metre (10-foot) python that bit his penis while he was squatting on the toilet is recovering, hospital staff said Saturday.
Atthaporn Boonmakchuay was admitted after surviving the nightmare encounter with a snake hiding in the toilet plumbing at his home in Chachoengsao province east of Bangkok.
"He can urinate as normal and his pain from the wound has reduced," Rungnapa Sehawong, a supervisor at the local Chularat 11 hospital, told AFP.
The 38-year-old was being treated with antibiotics and would likely be released in a few days, she added.
In an interview from his hospital bedside after the incident Wednesday, a smiling Atthaporn told local TV channels the toilet appeared empty when he peaked in before taking a squat.
"But after a while (the snake) rose from the toilet bowl and bit me," he said, explaining how he grabbed the serpent`s neck to prevent it from taking him down.
"At first I thought my penis was gone and already torn apart, because it was really very strong," he added.
But he managed to pry open the python`s jaws, after which his wife and neighbour rushed to the blood-splattered scene to cover the snake`s head with a plastic bag.
A rescue team later took a hammer to the toilet to free the serpent and release it into the wild, local media reported.
While the toilet was damaged in the process, it gave Atthaporn`s wife reason to make a new purchase: a shiny modern flush toilet.