Thai python bites face of Chinese tourist

Sultry and exotic, it's not hard to see why Thailand is a premier tourist destination, with many visitors enjoying the hint of danger mixed in with the colour of the friendly, sun-kissed nation.

But one Chinese tourist visiting Phuket got a little too close to the local wildlife at Phuket Biotechnology, in Tambon Chalong Muang, ending up with eight stitches in the schnozz after she tried to  rub noses with a python.

Venomous or not, precisely why one would see fit to attempt to share an intimate moment with any kind of serpent will probably remain a mystery, but either way the company is probably lamenting Jin Jing's decision, with authorities visiting its offices following yesterday's bite.

Kritiporn Phumkunchorn, Biotechnology Phuket's general manager, told The Nation that the company footed Jin's medical bills after her unwanted advances, which the three-year-old, 1.5 metre python, rejected definitively, latching onto the tourist's face like a vice while she screamed in horror.

Jing was treated in Phuket International Hospital, and reportedly received compensation from the company, which has suspended operations while staff undergo safety training.