It’s a dangerous world. In some places, in fact, it’s more dangerous than others, with various natural hazards that aren’t found everywhere. Indonesia is one such place, where we learn now that a 45-year-old mother of four went missing on Thursday night, only to be discovered later inside a 16-foot-long, reticulated python:
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Farida, 45, went missing on Thursday night. Her body was discovered inside the reticulated python Friday by her husband and residents of Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province, a local official said, according to AFP.
The search for the missing mother of four began after she failed to return home Thursday night, village chief Suardi Rosi told AFP.
Her husband “found her belongings… which made him suspicious. The villagers then searched the area. They soon spotted a python with a large belly,” Suardi said.
“They agreed to cut open the python’s stomach. As soon as they did, Farida’s head was immediately visible.”
The missing woman was found fully clothed inside the massive snake, which was reported to be at least 16 feet long.
WARNING: Graphic description follows.
I’m going to be a tad graphic here, as this poor woman’s tale must be told. Pythons kill by constricting; they entrap their quarry in their coils and constrict. For a snake this size, and a prey animal the size of a human, it’s not a quick or easy process. The prey is quickly immobilized, and death comes not by crushing so much as by suffocation. Every time the prey exhales, the coils tighten a little more, until the point is reached where the prey can no longer in hale.
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Death, then, is by suffocation, followed by the snake swallowing the victim headfirst. That is, without a doubt, what happened to poor Farida.
See Related: Giant 50-Foot Snake Found in India. Upside: It’s Extinct.
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While her suffering is over, her family now has to go on without her, and her husband has regrets of his own.
Her husband, identified as Noni, expressed regret that he let his wife go out on her own. “If I had been with her that day, the snake would not have dared to touch her,” he said, according to ViralPress.
“I feel sorry for the suffering she went through. I am sorry for our family,” he said.
We all feel sorrow, not only for Farida but for her family; our hearts go out to them. It’s a horror most of us comfortable, first world folks have a hard time imagining.
There’s a lesson here, though, in tempering the hubris some people display by assuming that humans can have a greater effect on the natural world (I should say, the rest of the natural world, as we are part of it, by necessity) than it on us. Too many humans display such callous disregard for just how puny we are in the overall scope of the world, and that leads some folks to do dumb things like kicking a bison or carelessly attracting large predators.
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It’s a big planet, populated by plenty of big, toothy critters. Humans, as prey species go, are pretty digestible. We’re relatively soft and squishy, without thick fur, horns, hooves or claws. Most of us aren’t very capable of fighting back against a bear, bison, or python. While not every such incident can be avoided, many can be, and I’ll repeat the standard caution I always offer on these topics: When you encounter a large animal, maintain a respectful distance.
Related: Are Two Heads Really Better Than One? It Depends on How Many Bodies There Are.