A 61-year-old Indonesian farmer, La Noti has been found found dead inside the stomach of a 28-foot-long python.
It was gathered that the animal had attacked and swallowed the farmer whole while he was tending to his livestock.
The tragic incident occurred on Friday morning, July 5, in an orchard in Majapahit Village, Southeast Sulawesi.
La Noti had gone to feed his chickens early in the morning when the massive reticulated python lunged at him from tall grass and bit into his leg. With no weapon or means of escape, the grandfather was crushed to death by the constrictor and later devoured.
When La Noti failed to return home, his concerned family began searching the area the following morning. They found his motorbike abandoned at the edge of the orchard, prompting a wider search involving local residents.
Later that afternoon, villagers discovered a bloated python lying in the undergrowth near a garden shed. Suspecting the worst, they captured the snake and cut open its abdomen, revealing La Noti’s fully clothed body inside.
Gruesome footage from the scene showed several men carefully slicing into the snake’s midsection to recover the victim’s remains. The footage has since circulated widely, drawing both horror and sorrow across the region.
Local police chief Masud Gunawan confirmed the death, stating, “The victim said goodbye to his family, saying he was going to feed his livestock, but he did not return home. The family and residents searched and found he had been swallowed by a large python. The family accepted the cause of death and prayed for their relative.”
La Ode Risawal, a senior official in the local disaster office, said La Noti had been a regular presence in the orchard and was well-known in the area. He noted this was the first human fatality due to a python attack in the region but warned that such encounters could become more common.
“There have been more frequent sightings of pythons in homes and gardens recently. We have warned residents to be cautious, especially when going alone into forests for work,” Risawal said.
La Ode Kaida, head of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency in Southeast Sulawesi, suggested that growing incidents involving large snakes may be due to environmental changes, including shrinking habitats and a decrease in natural prey.
Indonesia, home to some of the largest snake species on Earth, provides an ideal environment for reptiles like the reticulated python to thrive. While urbanisation has pushed wildlife closer to human settlements in some regions, remote areas of the archipelago still see encounters like this one, with tragic consequences.
