Formidable foe
With their impressive jaws and long, strong bodies, pythons are able to attack a wide variety of prey - even the larger ones. Their diet constitutes of small mammals, reptiles, birds, but also larger animals such as goats. Once a python has an animal trapped in its clutches, it's almost always guaranteed game over for the animal on the receiving end.
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In some more rare cases, these massive snakes have been known to participate in cannibalism. However, we've seen these cases typically end poorly for the snakes biting off more than they can chew.
Pythons are a common species in India and it’s not unusual for them to move closer to the villages to find food and attack the goats that have been raised by locals. The same thing happened last July in a village in the north of the Uttar Pradesh state called Ghosiana.
Rescue mission
After leaving the house, the villagers were surprised to find a python of around 2 metres in length had set its sights on one of their animals and had already started grappling it. The goat tried to fight back, but the snake's hold was too strong. The villagers then decided to do something to get it free.
Armed with sticks and bats, they started to hit the snake to get it to let go - a strategy that paid off. The python loosened its grip and the goat ran away, whilst a villager pushed the predator into some greenery. If it weren’t for him, the snake probably would’ve eaten its prey whole.
It’s not the first time something like this has been filmed in India. It’s important to note too that goats are a really important source of revenue for the locals, so no wonder they put themselves in danger to save them.
