This is the moment villagers captured a male python and the huge 20ft-long female it was mating with - before chopping them up for a stir fry meal.

Locals came across the pair while they were out hunting on Saturday afternoon on the Malaysian island of Borneo.

They heard strange noises coming from inside a fallen tree and when they went to look saw the reptiles - which are considered a delicacy in the remote Sarawak region.

They cut through the bark with a chainsaw and then several men dragged the beasts out and shot then dead.

They then hauled them into a truck to be served up for dinner, reports the Mirror.

Delighted local Tinsung Ujang, 60, said villagers in the town of Bintulu near the Kelawit River would feast on the meat for the next days.

He said: ‘'I looked down into the hole in the wood and was surprised to see the female mating with a smaller male snake.

‘We had to split the timber to reach them and it was difficult to remove the snakes because of their size and the position. They were locked together.

‘I was even more surprised because I have never seen snakes mating before and never seen a giant python that was more than five metres long like this.

‘The male python was quite small.

‘It was an amazing occurrence and I proceeded to shoot the two reptiles because for our community it is an exotic dish that is also our favourite dish.’

Tinsung said the two dead pythons were exhibited on a four-wheel drive pick-up truck to villagers who clapped and cheered the men on their impressive catch.

He told local media that the python could be grilled over a fire or fried in a pan along with vegetables and eaten with rice.

Tinsung added: ‘The snake meat was then divided and its share was distributed equally to villagers and nearby farm workers.’