THIS is the moment a 35ft python nearly chokes a forest ranger to death after he wrapped the snake around his neck.

The clip, which was filmed in Jaipaiguri, India, on Sunday, shows Sanjay Dutta struggling to handle the giant reptile in front of astonished villagers.

3 The ranger is seen with the giant snake draped over his shoulders

He had been called to remove the rock python by locals after it had killed and eaten a goat.

But instead of simply putting the dangerous animal into a sack, Dutta flung the snake around his neck in an attempt to take some selfies.

But things quickly turned ugly when the beast started wriggling and twisting itself while the ranger’s neck.

In the video, a visibly worried Dutta can be seen walking away from the crowd while the python starts tightening its grip around his throat.

3 The rock python begins to wrap itself around the man's neck

3 The crowd starts to panic after the reptile appears to try and choke the man to death

A loud cry then breaks out as the villagers panic and start running away from him.

At one point, the massive snake even slips out of the hands of a man who was holding its tail.

The ranger, who was not injured during the scare, is heard telling his assistant "hold the tail, hold the tail" and then "it's ok, it's all ok".

Speaking about the incident, Dutta said: "I received a call about a python that was devouring a goat near a school.

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“I reached the spit immediately and rescued the snake. It is 35 feet long.

“It is suspected that the snake swam to the village from a nearby river."

The rock python was later released into the Baikanthapur forest near the village.

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