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Discovery Special ‘Man-Eating Python’ Takes A Closer Look At The Story Behind The Tragic Incident

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 05:41 PST, Aug 24, 2017

Earlier this spring, graphic and disturbing cell phone video from Indonesia surfaced and quickly went viral. Somehow, a 23-foot-long python had managed to swallow the entire body of a man. The shocking footage showed locals from the eastern island of Sulawesi slicing the snake open to reveal the body of 25-year-old Akbar Salubiro.

According to USA Today, the farmer was reported missing when he failed to return home after leaving to harvest palm oil the previous day. Those who went to search for Akbar found one of his boots, his harvesting tool, and palm fruit. They also discovered the large snake nearby in a ditch, which was bloated and having a hard time moving. They immediately suspected the snake had eaten Akbar whole.

AP News shared that after cutting the snake open, a wound on the man’s back led them to believe Akbar was attacked from behind. Reticulated pythons have dozens of curved and very sharp teeth that are specifically designed to help them hold onto their prey as they first squeeze it to death before swallowing it whole. The world’s longest snake, reticulated pythons are common in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, and their diets usually consist of mammals such as pigs and monkeys.

Rob Nelson (Secrets of the Underground) is hosting the one-hour special, revealing the science behind how such an incident could occur and examines whether humans could be contributing to the rise in such attacks. Icon Films produced the Discovery Channel special, and asked on their Twitter account the question of how could something like this happened and could it possibly occur again. Man-Eating Python will attempt to answer that question as Nelson meets with python experts who will explain to viewers just how stealthy, fast, and powerful pythons can be, and what it would take for one to be able to kill and eat a fully-grown individual.

After examining what happened to Akbar, Nelson will next turn his attention toward the U.S. where there’s a growing problem with constrictors in the Florida Everglades region. Nelson will take a look at whether such a terrifying attack could happen there. Although humans are not a python’s typical prey, as they continue to expand their territory and humans continue to encroach on their habitat, these types of attacks could become more common.

Will you be checking out this intriguing special? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below. Man-Eating Python premieres on Friday, August 25 at 10 p.m. ET on the Discovery Channel.

[Featured Image by Discovery Channel]

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