18-Foot Python Devours Large Prey Before Villagers, Rescue Caught On Camera

A huge python was rescued after it devoured a large prey in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

Villagers gathered at the scene after they spotted the 18-foot-long python attempting to swallow an animal, which is believed to be a goat. The villagers immediately alerted the forest department, however, by the time the officers could arrive at the scene, the reptile had already devoured the animal.

A video of the rescue showed the bloated python unable to move after swallowing its prey. The officers and the villagers then tied a rope around the reptile and pull it toward a truck. The reptile is then raised from the ground using logs and placed inside the vehicle. The python was then released into the wild.

Speaking to Asian News International, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rajiv Kumar said, "Our team reached the spot immediately after getting information that a python was found in Sihari village of the Rampur district. The team rescued it and released it in the nearby forest."

"It seemed to have consumed a large goat, because of which it was unable to move. Locals were initially scared. But we asked them not to get frightened, as python is a harmless snake and is non-poisonous," he told the news agency.

Other reports, however, said that the python had swallowed a newborn Nilgai, a type of wild antelope seen in India.

The incident comes months after a python was caught on camera devouring a pet cat. The massive reptile entered a home through the door in Australia’s Sunshine Coast and swallowed the feline. When the snake catcher arrived at the scene, he saw the reptile swallowing the cat. The snake catcher captured the reptile and released it into the woods.

In another incident earlier this year, a huge python was found in the backyard of a home after it ate a pet cat. Snake catcher Stuart McKenzie arrived at the home in Sunshine Coast and found the 7-foot-long reptile with a bulging belly. He initially thought the reptile had devoured a possum but soon realized that it had swallowed a cat. The reptile was captured and released in the forest.