Boy, 5, bitten and dragged into swimming pool by python

AN AUSTRALIAN boy, 5, had to be rescued by his grandfather after being dragged into a swimming pool by a 10ftlong python.

Beau Blake was walking close to the swimming pool at his family’s home near Byron Bay in New South Wales when the snake emerged “out of the blue” from some bushes and latched on to his ankle. The python wrapped itself around Beau and the two of them toppled into the water.

Beau’s father, Ben Blake, told NBN News: “I had just started kicking back on the lounger, just started enjoying a tin (a can of beer) and all of a sudden it was on. Beau was just walking around the edge (of the pool). I believe the python was sort of sitting there waiting for a victim to come along, a bird or something, and Beau was it.

“I saw a big black shadow come out of the bush and before they hit the bottom, it was completely wrapped around his leg.”

The boy’s grandfather, Alan Blake, 76, immediately jumped into the swimming pool, grabbed his grandson and the snake, still entwined, and passed them up to Ben.

Mr Blake said: “I looked in and there was the thing around his legs so I just jumped straight in to grab him.”

The boy’s father then seized the python by its neck, squeezed hard and managed to pull it off his son.

After the attack he released the python back into the bushes.

The boy was taken to hospital where doctors cleaned the puncture wounds.

“We used to check for spiders around the pool but now we’ll look for snakes,” his father said.