11-Foot-Long Python Swallows Monkey Alive, Regurgitates Animal When Caught

An 11-foot-long python in India swallowed a monkey alive and regurgitated it later after being caught by snake rescuers Tuesday.

According to forest officials in the western state of Gujarat, some locals spotted the snake lying near the bank of a small river on Aug. 7. Wildlife rescuer Shailesh Raval was called to the scene to remove the huge python, News 18 reported. Some villagers also alerted the Karelibaug range forest office about the reptile.

Rescuers carried out efforts to catch the python, which had something in its belly.

“...Our team managed to catch the python and we brought it to our rescue centre in Karelibaug. The python later regurgitated the small monkey that it had swallowed," Raval told Press Trust of India. The snake was kept under observation, Raval said, adding that once veterinary doctors give a green signal, the snake will be released into the wild.

Local media Asia News International shared images of the snake in captivity on Twitter.

It remains unclear for how long the monkey was inside the python.

After images of the snake were shared online, social media users expressed concerns about the monkey. Some also questioned why the snake needed to be rescued as the whole thing is a natural process.

"If it was in its natural habitat, why did it need to be rescued in first place ??" one user wrote. Another wrote: "What kind of rescue? thts food for python. why to interfere in its life. let him live."

According to reports, reptiles spit out the food it has swallowed when under panic or when it feels threatened. They regurgitate the prey to make a quick escape as large food inside the stomach makes their movement slow.

In another recent incident, a six-foot-long cobra spat out a rat snake in front of people after swallowing the smaller reptile. The incident took place in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Local residents saw the cobra eating the snake while in a drain. After consuming the snake, the cobra became immobile and got stuck in the hole. Snake catchers, who were called to the scene, rescued the cobra using a stick. During the rescue operation, the cobra started spitting out its prey. The snake catcher told local media the cobra would be released into the wild along with other snakes he had rescued over the past few days.