In a harrowing incident underscoring the dangers of wildlife encroachment, a 55-year-old grandmother named Wa Siti was found dead after being swallowed by a 23-foot reticulated python near her home on Buton Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The event has spotlighted the increasing frequency of python attacks in Indonesian villages.
Wa Siti had gone missing on April 9, 2025, while tending to her garden. Her son, Saimin, became alarmed upon discovering her abandoned basket and initiated a search. Tragically, another son, La Faru, discovered a massive python with their mother’s upper body inside its mouth. Villagers acted swiftly, killing the snake and retrieving Wa Siti’s body, but she had already succumbed to the attack.
This incident is not isolated. In October 2022, a 54-year-old woman named Jahrah was swallowed whole by a 22-foot python while working on a rubber plantation in Jambi province . Similarly, in July 2024, a 36-year-old woman named Siriati met the same fate in South Sulawesi . These cases highlight a disturbing trend of python attacks in Indonesian villages.
Experts suggest that habitat loss and human encroachment into forested areas are contributing factors to the rise in such incidents. As pythons lose their natural habitats, they increasingly come into contact with human populations, leading to more frequent and deadly encounters. The recurrence of these tragedies emphasizes the urgent need for awareness and preventive measures to address python attacks in Indonesian villages.
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