When a farmer noticed two of his champion roosters had gone missing - the blame went to a deadly 15ft long python with a bulging belly.

Nut Wattana had woken up in his home in Pathum Thani, Thailand and noticed two of his best roosters had gone.

He initially thought they might have fled their coop but was horrified when he noticed a python hanging from the roof with a massive swelling in its body.

He enlisted the help of rescuers to try and get the snake to regurgitate the fighting cock.

And this stomach churning footage shows the deadly reptile slowly spitting out the bird.

The video shows rescuers lying the python on the ground and, using a metal rod, they force the snake to gag it up.

With its mouth wide and sharp teeth on show, all that can initially be seen of the rooster is its legs dangling out into the open.

But slowly, the snake's body begins contracting and a few minutes later more of the lifeless bird comes out, reports the Mirror.

Covered in slime, the rooster's feathered body starts slipping out as the python recoils and finally releases its head.

Wattana said the other bird was also found dead nearby when the two went missing on December 27.

He said: ‘I didn't hear the sound of the two cocks in the morning so went to look for them.

‘I saw the python had eaten one of the birds which cost me all together about 30,000 baht (£690).

‘I can't save the birds now. They were two of my favourites. Thankfully I have a lot more roosters and chickens.

‘I forgive the snake because it was just their natural instinct.’

A python typically takes around two weeks to digest a rooster of that size and can survive several weeks without another snack if they are not disturbed. But this one will have to find another meal after it was forced to regurgitate the bird.

When it was out, the professional snake handlers gave the python some time to recover.

It was then bagged up and taken to the jungle where it was released.