A giant python was seen cooling off in a mountain stream after swallowing a wild boar.<br /><br />Shocked hikers noticed the reptile in Ranong, southern Thailand, last Saturday (January 4). <br /><br />Onlooker Sukrit Meekul watched from a distance as the serpent digested its recent meal - a process that could take several more weeks.<br /><br />Sukrit, who runs a bakery, said they reported the find to wildlife officers. Around five metres from the python they found hoof prints in the mud which suddenly stopped. <br /><br />They believe the wild boar had been drinking from the stream when the 16ft long python pounced and strangled it to death before eating it.<br /><br />Sukrit said that he had been hiking with local schoolchildren at the time teaching them about the wilderness. This was a great example of ''nature in action'', he said.<br /><br />The nature lover added: "We not only saw the python digesting the wild boar, but also the boar's footprints, which shows us the richness of the jungle.<br /><br />''This was an incredible sight for everyone and gave us all a true glimpse of predators and the ecosystem in the wild.''
