A lucky duck was saved from the jaws of death when it was snatched from the banks of a pond by a hungry python.

The bird was preening itself with fellow animals next to the water when the snake was seen on CCTV rearing up and pinning the startled bird down in a cloud of feathers and wing flapping.

Shocked residents raced over to carefully remove the live bird from the grip of the 8ft-long reptile in Kanchanaburi province, western Thailand, on September 2.

They took the duck to the vet, surviving minor injuries while its predator hid behind the plastic barrier of a canal, where it was found the next morning.

The duck was given a yellow bandage on its neck and managed an enthusiastic 'quack' the next day to show that even a snake could not keep it down for long.

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.