A missing woman in central Indonesia was found dead inside a reticulated python, marking the fifth such incident in the country since 2017. Farida, a 45-year-old mother of four, disappeared on Thursday night from Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province. Her husband discovered her belongings on Friday, prompting a search that led villagers to a large python with a swollen belly. Upon cutting the python open, they found Farida’s body intact inside.
The graphic discovery, documented in videos shared by TMZ and the Daily Mail, showed the villagers extracting Farida’s body from the snake, a grim reminder of the dangers posed by these powerful predators. Reticulated pythons, which are common in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, use their sharp teeth to latch onto prey before constricting and swallowing it whole. Although they primarily feed on monkeys, pigs, and other mammals, instances of them attacking humans, while rare, have occurred with increasing frequency in recent years.
Previous incidents include a farmer in West Sulawesi found inside a four-meter python in 2017, and a woman in Jambi province swallowed by a python in 2022. Another case in 2018 involved a woman in Muna town who was discovered inside a seven-meter python after going missing from her garden.
The reticulated python, the longest snake species in the world, can exceed 20 feet in length. The largest recorded specimen, discovered in 1912, measured nearly 33 feet. Known for their potential aggressiveness, these snakes continue to pose a threat in rural areas where human and snake habitats overlap.
This tragic event highlights the need for awareness and caution in regions where these formidable reptiles are native.
