Scary Photos and Video: Zoo offers massage from four giant pythons

 

Nothing could be more relaxing than a deep muscle massage. But what if that massage was being dished out by four deadly giant Burmese pythons?

That's the unique experience that visitors to the Cebu City Zoo in the Philippines are queuing up for - and it is free for anyone who's brave enough to try it.

The Pythons - named Michelle, Walter, EJ and Daniel - are taken out of their cages and placed one at a time on top of visitors, who lie down on a bamboo bed near the zoo's main entrance.

Zoo manager Giovanni Romarate, who owns Michelle and Walter, insists the snake massage is safe. Still, each python is fed 10 or more chickens beforehand, to curb any hunger pangs.

He added: 'Snakes do not attack as long as they are not harmed. We also made sure that we use pythons because they are not venomous.

'At first, visitors feel fear but most of the guests who try the snake massage say that they like it. It's like getting a hand massage. You get to enjoy the cold grip of our snakes.'

Mr Maclean, a professional cameraman, filmed tourists having the snake massage.

'The slithering motion is actually quite pleasant,' he said. 'With all the snakes covering my body, they weighed around 250kg - it is impossible to get up without the handler's help.

'It is common to see scars and bite marks on the snake handlers. Some say these guys are a dying breed.'