An owner of a pet store in Kentucky was almost crushed by a 20-foot-long, 125-pound python until the police came over to rescue him, authorities reported.
Terry Wilkins, the owner of Captive Born Reptiles located in Newport, Ky., was found around noontime Monday by two officers when the snake was already wrapped around him. A woman present during the incident said that the victim was just cleaning the python's glass cage when the snake coiled around his arm.
"When officers arrived on the scene, they located the victim who was total(ly) unconscious with a large snake wrapped around his head and neck," the Newton police reported, according to Reuters.
Wilkins was no longer breathing when the officers tried to free him, Police Chief Tom Collins said. He was able to breathe again before he was brought to a hospital, where he is currently recovering. His health is continuously improving, and he can talk again, Fox News reported. Collins added that Lt. Gregory Rapberger, one of the two officers who rescued the victim, knew that he had to grab python's head to uncurl it.
The victims daughter, Keiko Wilkens, said that the accident was blown out of proportion. She added that her father's life was never in critical condition.
The Kentucky pet store has branches in two locations. They mainly breed reptiles instead of acquiring animals from the wild. "Captive bred animals are more tame, healthier, and much better pets," their site says, BBC News reported.
