Police have launched an investigation to track down a group of drunken men who filmed themselves force-feeding beer down the throat of a terrified python.

In the disturbing footage, the men were seen holding on to the six-foot-long reptile as they partied in the bush in South Africa. 

The group forced open its jaws and poured a whole 750ml bottle of the beer into its mouth. 

A crowd of other partygoers were heard cheering and laughing in the 14-second clip as one of the men looked ready to pour a second bottle down the helpless python’s throat. 

Law enforcement are now trying to trace the group on suspicion of animal cruelty.

African Rock Pythons are non-venomous snakes and kill by constricting prey. They can swallow large antelopes, crocodiles and in rare cases humans.

However, they are considered a threatened or protected species. Sentences for killing pythons can vary from a £2,000 fine to years in jail.

Snake experts have warned that the reptiles’ digestive system cannot cope with alcohol. It is likely that the booze would have burned its internal tissues, causing severe damage or even death. Michael Grover, owner of the website Reptiles and Amphibians, claims any amount of alcohol can be deadly and it causes “disorientation and a loss of co-ordination”

He warned: “If a snake drinks alcohol it can be fatal as it is highly toxic to them and can cause severe damage to its liver and other organs leading to organ failure and death.” 

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has uploaded the sickening video with an appeal for information as a full investigation is underway.

A spokesman wrote: “This is a threatened or protected species of African rock python being effectively tortured and we will bring the full force of the law into play. The snake is being force-fed with beer and it is clearly cruelty and it is causing the python immense suffering and it could very well have caused a painful death for it.

“The public outrage on social media has born full testament to the fact that animal cruelty is not only not accepted in South Africa but also won’t be tolerated.”