Farmers batter huge 4.5m python to death after it swallowed their goat

A video has surfaced online showing farmers in a northern Malaysian village battering a huge 4.5-meter python to death.

The python had reportedly eaten one of their goats. The incident is said to have occurred earlier this month.

The villagers found the python lying on the floor of a wooden hut with its belly bulging.

The villagers said in an interview that they killed the python because they feared for their own safety as well as that of their goats.

One of the farmers, Ahmad Riduanz, said: "The snake was killed for fear it would eat the goats again and because of its giant size, the security of the villagers was also threatened."

Malaysia and Indonesia have some of the largest pythons in the world. In 2016, the longest ever captured python measuring 7.9 meters died in Malaysia.