Two Indonesian men on Sunday (May 16) caught and killed a 23-foot reticulated python suspected of eating local villagers.

Footage filmed in the Maros district of South Sulawesi province showed the men attempting to move the giant reptile.

The snake had a hugely swollen belly suggesting it had recently eaten a large meal.

A man named Wawan said he spotted the python while on a mission to collect sap from the Rompegading forest.

On closer examination, villagers concluded that the snake had preyed on livestock rather than humans.

"Many residents have lost their livestock. We suspect that the cattle are being eaten by snakes. That's why we catch this snake as it's troubling," Wawan said.

While exceptionally rare, there have been cases of pythons eating humans in Indonesia.

Reticulated pythons are the world's longest snakes, capable of reaching over 32ft in length.

Local Indonesian residents catch a huge 7 meter (23 feet) long python who suspected it of having killed humans.

The giant snake had a huge belly when it was caught.

Wawan, a resident who filmed the moment, said that the discovery of the snake began when he and several of his family were going to collect sap from the Rompegading forest, Maros district, South Sulawesi province, on Sunday morning (16 May).

They saw a large snake between the rocks. When caught, the snake could not fight back. They tied the snake and then dragged its body out of the rock gap.

The size of the snake made them contact other residents to catch it and bring it to the village.

Residents suspect this snake has preyed on humans, so they cut open the snake's stomach to check.

"We thought he was eating someone else's child, so we split it and it turned out that in his stomach there was a calf that had just been eaten," Wawan added.

Residents say this is the first time they have seen a snake this big.

According to residents, they often lose livestock such as chickens, goats and calves.

"Indeed, many residents have lost their livestock. We suspect that the cattle are being eaten by snakes. That's why we catch this snake as it's troubling," Wawan said.

While exceptionally rare, there have been cases of pythons eating humans in Indonesia.