A grandfather was attacked by a large python before being rescued by neighbours as it tried to eat him.

Hidayat, 60, was walking to his farm when the 26.2ft (8 meters) serpent lunged at him and bit his leg in South Sulawesi, Indonesia on September 22.

He screamed for help as the snake locked him in its grip up to his neck until another farmer heard his calls.

The elderly man was freed as his relative Hasdin used a knife to hack the animal with other residents until it loosened its clutches on Hidayat.

Footage shows the dead reptile lying on the ground with wounds around its body. The grandfather was taken to the hospital, where his injuries were treated.

Hasdin said: ‘I was going to the rice fields to irrigate the crops when I heard someone screaming. I ran to the location and saw the big snake trying to eat him.

‘He was already wrapped up to his neck but he could still talk. He told me to cut its tail.'

The snake was later buried by Hasdin and his neighbours in the fields.

Local environmentalist Ismail Ishak said pythons come out into rice fields because their habitat are disturbed.

He said: ‘Weather conditions and disturbed habitats cause them to go out to plantations or residential areas.'

The region of Sulawesi in Indonesia is home to a rich biodiversity, including reticulated pythons, one of the largest snake species in the world. The island's forests provide ideal habitats for these pythons, but as human activities like farming, logging, and settlement expand, the natural range of pythons has been reduced, bringing them into closer contact with humans.