This is the horrifying moment a grandmother was found dead with her head trapped inside the jaws of a 23ft python.
Wa Siti, 55, was set upon by the killer reptile while harvesting vegetables from her garden in Indonesia on April 9. When she failed to return home, her worried son La Faru went out looking for her – but walked into the garden to find his mother being swallowed by the beast. Disturbing footage caught the moment neighbours held their torches and machetes as they grappled with the snake in an attempt to free Wa Siti’s head from its mouth. Furious locals hacked the serpent to death with their tools, but the gran tragically could not be saved.
Officials have now warned residents to beware of further snake attacks in the Buton Regency of South East Sulawesi. Police Inspector One Hardi said: “The victim had two gardens that were close by each other. She went to harvest vegetables. Her son looked for her in those farms, but she was not there. He also searched in the nearby forest.
“When he went to the garden, La Faru found a basket that was usually used. Feeling that something was odd, La Faru then called his other relatives. They only found the victim’s basket, which she used to gather vegetables, so they immediately searched the garden. They found their mother with the snake wrapped around her, and her head in the snake’s mouth. The victim was already dead. They slashed the snake’s head and immediately evacuated the victim.”
Neighbours helped the grieving family carry Wa Siti back to the village for a funeral. Devastated Saimin, another of the victim’s children, called relatives to help find his mother when he noticed her basket. He said: “I was always worried about her working on the farm. I have seen big snakes before. She had worked on the farm since she was a little girl, so she was not afraid. She would always have her basket with her, so I knew something was wrong.”
Indonesia has a large population of pythons living in its lush forests, and they are especially common in regions like Sumatra and Java. Pythons are one of the most abundant large vertebrates in the country. While generally wary of humans and rarely seen, sightings are not uncommon – and conflict with humans are more likely reported in areas with palm oil plantations, where they hunt for rodents.
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