Woman Swallowed Whole By 23-Foot Python Found Undigested Inside Its Stomach

Published June 18, 2018
Updated November 12, 2019

"When they cut open the snake's belly, they found Tiba's body still intact with all her clothes."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc_LimfrPjM&has_verified=1

They had no idea why she’d disappeared — then they found her body inside an enormous snake.

On June 15, a 54-year-old Indonesian woman was found dead on the island of Sulawesi after being swallowed whole by a 23-foot python, reported The Jakarta Post.

The night before, Wa Tiba left her village, Persiapan Lawela, to tend to her garden located about half a mile from her house. Tiba’s family reported that she wanted to check on the garden because wild boars often destroyed its crops.

When Tiba didn’t return home by sunrise, her sister went to look for her near the garden. She could only find some of her sister’s belongings, including a flashlight, her machete, and her sandals.

Soon, about 100 worried locals including Tiba’s relatives, launched a search party. Then they came across a 23-foot reticulated python with a bloated midsection about 100 feet away from where her belongings were found.

“Residents were suspicious the snake swallowed the victim, so they killed it, then carried it out of the garden,” said the local police chief, identified as Hamka.

Men Cutting Into Snake

YouTubeLocals first slice into the snake and reveal the contents of its stomach.

After carrying the python back to the village, the villagers sliced open its carcass. Inside they found and extracted the body of Wa Tiba, who’d been swallowed head first.

“When they cut open the snake’s belly, they found Tiba’s body still intact with all her clothes,” said the village chief, identified as Faris.

Reticulated Python

Wikimedia CommonsReticulated python

Reticulated pythons like this one are the longest snakes in the world and are widespread in Indonesia as well as other parts of Southeast Asia. These creatures, which can reach lengths of more than 25 feet and weigh more than 120 pounds, use their incredible size to squeeze their prey to death before swallowing it whole and digesting it over the course of days or even weeks.

They regularly kill and eat creatures about a quarter of their own size, including monkeys and pigs, but reports of humans being killed by these pythons are rare. However, this was the second attack of a human by a python in Indonesia in a little over a year.

Woman Swallowed By Python

YouTubeThe body of the woman swallowed whole becomes visible inside the body of the snake.

In a similar incident that took place in March 2017, a 25-year-old farmer was swallowed whole by a python in West Sulawesi province while he was harvesting his crops.

Turns out that gardening in Indonesia can be one horribly dangerous activity.


Next, check out the Titanoboa, the prehistoric 50-foot snake of your nightmares. Then, see video of a python that ate an entire kangaroo whole.

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All That's Interesting
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Established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together a dedicated staff of digital publishing veterans and subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science. From the lesser-known byways of human history to the uncharted corners of the world, we seek out stories that bring our past, present, and future to life. Privately-owned since its founding, All That's Interesting maintains a commitment to unbiased reporting while taking great care in fact-checking and research to ensure that we meet the highest standards of accuracy.
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John Kuroski
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John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.