A Hong Kong woman was moved to kick and punch a four-and-a-half meter Burmese python, after it attacked her dog.
Catherine Leonard was walking her pet Poppy in Sai Kung country park when she heard "a yelping that was like a scream".
Talking to the South China Morning Post, Ms Leonard commented: "I'm not sure exactly what I did but I kicked it and I tried to pull Poppy free. The snake was twisted around her."
She went on: "Somehow Poppy managed to get away and the python slithered away. It was all over in about a minute."
The 41-year-old admitted that she was "shaken afterwards and really scared" and admitted her reaction had been surprising.
"If I'd had the chance to think about it, I wouldn't have done what I did, but I heard the dog in distress and I just waded in there."
Dave Willott, a snake expert, told the Associated Press that Poppy had had a narrow escape.
"They usually don't let go, not when they've locked onto their prey," he confirmed, adding that the dog would probably have fallen unconscious within two minutes of the attack and died within five.
