A farmer in his early 60s was discovered dead inside a python estimated to be 26 to 28 feet long after an attack while tending to livestock in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, on July 4, 2025.
La Noti was attending to chickens in an orchard in Majapahit Village when a large reticulated python emerged from nearby grass and bit his leg. Without a weapon to defend himself, the python killed him by constriction and then swallowed him whole.
When Noti did not return home that evening, his family became concerned and began searching the next day. They found his motorbike abandoned near the orchard, initiating a community search effort.
Villagers later found a bloated python lying still in the undergrowth near a garden hut. The snake’s stomach appeared distended, raising suspicion about Noti’s fate.
Fearing the worst, the villagers captured the python and cut it open, confirming their suspicions. Noti’s fully clothed body was inside, enshrouded in digestive fluids. His 5-foot-4-inch body was retrieved and returned to his family for burial.
Video footage from the scene shows villagers cutting open the snake to retrieve Noti’s body while his family watched. The gruesome footage has since been widely shared online.
Adjunct Police Commissioner Masud Gunawan, Batauga’s police chief, confirmed the incident to local media. Gunawan stated: “The victim said goodbye to his family, saying he was going to feed his livestock, but he did not return home.” He added that the family and residents found a large python had swallowed him and accepted the cause of death.
Local disaster management officials described the event as unprecedented in the region. La Ode Risawal, head of the disaster office’s emergency division, stated that Noti was a familiar presence in the orchard. This was the first time a human had been consumed by a python in the area.
Risawal warned that such incidents might become more frequent, noting that pythons have been appearing more often in homes and gardens. Authorities have cautioned residents to be careful when working in forested areas alone.
Authorities and wildlife officials suspect that the increase in python sightings is related to habitat disruption and a decrease in prey, forcing snakes closer to human areas for food.
Indonesia is home to some of the world’s largest python species, with reticulated pythons often exceeding 20 feet in length. The country’s expansive forests and rich biodiversity provide ideal conditions for these snakes to grow to large sizes.
While neighboring Southeast Asian countries have experienced urbanization leading wildlife closer to humans, Indonesia’s remote regions continue to offer natural habitats for large animals. However, when these snakes leave their habitats due to food scarcity, human encounters can be fatal.
This incident is part of a series of python-related fatalities in Indonesia. In June 2024, a 45-year-old woman named Farida was found dead inside a 16-foot python after vanishing from her garden in South Sulawesi. Villagers found a swollen snake near her home, cut it open, and recovered her remains.
More recently, on April 9, 2025, a 55-year-old grandmother named Wa Siti was found dead in her backyard on Buton Island, Southeast Sulawesi, after being partially swallowed by a 23-foot python. Villagers killed the snake to retrieve her body, which had not been fully consumed.
Emergency management officials continue to observe the situation and are working with wildlife agencies to find solutions to the increased number of python encounters in residential and farming areas.
