A woman was bitten and nearly crushed by her pet boa constrictor which coiled itself tightly around her arm and refused to let go until firefighters intervened.

The terrifying attack happened in Novorossiysk, a port city on Russia's Black Sea coast, in the Krasnodar region.

The three-metre (10-foot) snake sank its fangs into the woman’s hand and then looped around her arm like a tourniquet, cutting off circulation and pinning her in place.

Despite the pain and panic, she managed to call emergency services from her home, where the snake was being kept in a terrarium.

Dramatic video footage shows a firefighter sitting calmly beside the woman as he slowly unwinds the thick-bodied reptile.

He then frees her visibly bloodied hand from the boa's jaws before helping her escape from its overpowering grip.

As the woman cradles her wounded arm, the firefighter tosses a drop cloth over the snake's head to stop it from moving.

Footage shows rescuers helping a woman who was attacked by a 3-meter boa constrictor pet in Novorossiysk, Russia, undated. Footage shared by the head of the city's "Rescue Service" Alexey Oderov on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.(Clipzilla/NX)

The reptile was later returned to its glass enclosure.

Alexey Oderov, head of the city’s rescue service, said his team had never encountered anything like it before.

He said: "This was our first experience with a boa constrictor, but the team handled it professionally."

The woman was given medical assistance for the bite but did not require hospitalisation.

(MJ Leidig/newsX)