Just WOW. Too bad he did not have a handgun, or a good, sharp hunting knife, to slice the snake in two. It can be hard to cut with the hedge clippers, especially when opened wide. They never said if the snake was killed, or got away!
You MUST destroy the brain or the body will continue to function/constrict.
“Pithing” is the ONLY way to instantly kill a snake.
Anything else will leave it functioning, even if on a very basic level.
A head shot or a heavy rock are extreme forms of “pithing”.