Thirsty snake drinks water from hiker's palm during drought in Thailand

  • 4 years ago
This is the heartwarming moment a thirsty snake drank bottled water from a passing hiker's hand.

Drljaca Milena and her boyfriend Nenad Preradovic noticed the parched reptile in woodland in Krabi, southern Thailand on Monday (Feb 3) afternoon.

The country has been suffering a severe drought in recent months, with many snakes venturing out of their natural habitat in search of food.

The couple, from Belgrade, Serbia, beckoned over the red-tailed green rat snake, which is harmless to humans, from its tree branch and gave it a drink from their bottled water.

Footage shows the snake lapping up the fresh liquid from Nenad's palm in the Phanom Bencha National Park.

Drljaca, a wildlife photographer, said the serpent, also called a red-tailed racer snake, was calm and friendly.

She said: "The snake was in good health, had a very mild manner and it did not try to bite. Actually, in the end, it did not want to leave us."

Thailand's chronic drought over the last few months has seen increasing numbers of rivers and ponds dry up. The loss of habitat has reduced the food source for snakes, causing them to venture into residential areas and take greater risks in search of food and water.