In a chilling and tragic event that shocked the world, a 25-year-old farmer named Akbar Salubiro was found dead inside the belly of a massive python in a remote village on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The incident occurred in March 2017 when Akbar failed to return home after going out to harvest palm oil.
Concerned villagers launched a search and eventually spotted a bloated 23-foot-long (7-meter) reticulated python near Akbar’s plantation. Suspecting something was wrong, they killed the snake and cut it open—only to make a horrifying discovery. Inside was Akbar’s fully intact body, still dressed in his boots and clothes.
This was one of the rare and fully documented cases of a human being swallowed whole by a snake. Reticulated pythons are known to prey on large animals, but attacks on adult humans are extremely uncommon.
The incident serves as a grim reminder of the dangers that can exist in rural and forested areas where humans and wildlife share the same territory.