Horrific moment live goat is swallowed by 10ft python in Indian nature reserve

It has sparked fears among locals in the village of Garkhuta in West Bengal, India that if a python could catch a goat it could easily kill a man or child.

Among the onlookers was photographer Roni Choudhury, who was walking nearby the Sonakhali Reserve Forest when he spotted the giant snake stretching its mouth around the goat's lifeless body.

'The moment I rushed towards the spot, I saw a huge python was eating the goat,' Mr Choudhury said. 'It was one of the most spectacular moments I've ever witnessed.' 

The domestic goat's death captured the attention of villagers, with a crowd of onlookers quickly gathering around to watch the feast unfold.

Mr Choudhury added: 'The python would be around 9-10 feet long and it looked young.

'I was there for more than an hour and later I heard from the villagers that the python finished the goat in around four hours.'

It remained unclear quite how the giant snake nabbed the goat in the first place, but eyewitnesses said the python continued devouring its prey despite the crowd's presence.

A villager said: 'It did not seem to be bothered. The python left for the forest after he finished swallowing the goat.

'It slowly crawled into the grassy bushes nearby.'

The incident is believed to be the first of its kind in the village but has led to concerns among snake experts.

They say that excessive deforestation in the Jalpaiguri Forest Reserve is leading to a grave imbalance in local ecological systems.

Vidyut Sarkar, the district forest officer, said: 'It is a rare incident. This is the first time that I seen something like this.

'It would still have been acceptable had this happened inside the forest range or had the python caught a deer or something. But a python strike inside the village is an alarming sign.

'If the python caught a goat, it could very easily kill a man or a child.'

(dailymail.co.uk)