Man saves grandson from 16-foot-long snake

A 66-year-old Brazilian saved his grandson from the grip of a 16-foot-long anaconda by beating the snake with rocks and a knife for half an hour.

“When I saw the snake wrapped around my grandson’s neck I thought it was going to kill him,” said Joaquim Pereira. “It was agonizing, I pulled it from one side, but it would come back on the other.”



While Pereira’s 8-year-old grandson, Mateus was playing with friends, the snake attacked and wrapped itself around him, police officer Hudson Augusto said. Anacondas are not poisonous, but kill their prey by coiling around them and squeezing until victims suffocate.

Mateus’ friends ran to get his grandfather, who reached the scene and battled with the snake until it released his grandson.

The boy was rushed to a hospital and needed 21 stitches on his chest where he was bitten.