Let’s all agree to this – we do not have to love snakes, but we can at least respect their right to exist without harm and appreciate their vital role in maintaining Earth’s balance. Without these creatures the planet would be overrun with rodents, bugs and birds. Let’s be real, if snakes were in a popularity contest, among all other animals, they would most definitely lose. Snakes are often perceived as animals to be feared or hated. However, the reality is that most of the oppositions that surround snakes are guided by ignorance or misunderstanding. Pythons are one of the largest, deadliest snakes in the world.

Per reports, this unfortunate farmer from Thailand woke up to find two of his prized fighting roosters missing. He often entered his fighting roosters into matches around town and earned a lot of money from them. And when he noticed them missing, he felt angry and worried. The farmer, Watana,  was able to point the finger of blame at a likely offender. This time it was a 15-foot python that had swallowed the fighting roosters whole. Before he knew to suspect the python, he thought the roosters had escaped the coop. But then he saw the creature hanging from the roof. This giant snake had a bulging belly and was right where he needed to be to snatch up Watana’s champion fighting roosters, according to reports.

While it was probably too late to save the lives of his roosters, the farmer sought out help from rescuers in the area. Together they were able to force the snake to regurgitate his fowl. The rescuers reportedly used a metal rod to force the snake to gag up the prized fighting rooster. A rooster would not stand a chance against his massive predator. But pythons do not rely on their teeth to kill their prey. They use the fangs to trap their victim, and then they wrap their strong bodies around the victim and squeeze it to death. As the snake starts to push the rooster out of its belly, the fowl’s feet protrude out of its mouth.

Watana found the other fighting rooster nearby. “I didn’t hear the sound of the two roosters in the morning so went to look for them. I saw the python had eaten one of the birds, which cost me altogether about $940. I can’t save the birds now. They were two of my favorites. Thankfully I have a lot more roosters and chickens. I forgive the snake because it was just their natural instinct.” Although Watana lost about $1000 worth of fighting roosters in the snake attack, he does not hold the killing against the snake. The snake was just trying to survive. But Watana will probably invest in better fencing and other protective measures to prevent this kind of thing from happening again.