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Sampit is a city in Central Kalimantan’s East Kotawaringin Regency. It was once a timber port town but has now developed into a medium-sized city with 166,773 inhabitants, as per Statistics Indonesia.
A video of a group in the jungle in the beloved town showcases the differences between man and beast. The protagonist in this story is a muscular man that we’ll call Tarzan. What you’re about to read and see shows just how deserving he is of this famous title!
While walking in the dense forest, this man spots a massive python on the wooded earth floor. Without a second thought, he lifts up the serpent as the cameraman is left speechless by the interaction.
The world’s largest snakes include various varieties of python. These huge, non-venomous reptiles can vary from 23 inches to 33 feet in length, and they might weigh anywhere between 7 ounces to 250 pounds.
The one in this video looks to be on the larger end of the scale, as the muscular man has a difficult time lifting it. Tarzan has his hands wrapped around the snake’s neck as he says, “I can’t let this guy go because he will mess me up.”
Although extremely uncommon, pythons have been known to kill humans. Occasionally, if the conditions are ideal, it occurs. Often, it simply takes the right combination of circumstances for a large, hungry snake to approach a group of people. However, these snakes do not typically consume humans as prey.
Powerful Creatures
The man in the video mentions multiple times to steer clear of the coils, as once the snake wraps around you, it’s bad news bears. The longest-living species of snake on the planet, the reticulated python, is a constrictor, which means it coils around its victims and squeezes them until they die in a matter of minutes. The majority of the time is spent swallowing.
“Big pythons are incredibly powerful animals with huge muscles to both move, eat, and constrict,” said Stephen Ressel, a professor at the College of Atlantic. “They certainly can pack a huge force as they’re constricting.”
Thankfully, Tarzan and all those around him make it out of the jungle safely. While we’re unsure of specifics, it appears this man knows a thing or two about pythons and has plenty of experience with them.
If you’re ever in the wild and spot a large snake like the one in this video, do not approach it. It can quickly wrap around you before you’re even aware of what’s taking place. Let’s respect animals in their natural habitat and live vicariously through people in videos like this one!
Is It Normal to Pick Up a Wild Python By the Head?
The people in the video were python hunters, and the video indicates that they captured a record-breaking Burmese python–19 feet in length! So perhaps their methods of capturing it are excusable. But is it normal, or rather, a best practice to handle a wild python in such a way?
If you’re a python hunter, the answer is yes, it is normal. The python population in the Florida Everglades and elsewhere in the southern portion of the state has gotten out of control, and efforts to capture and control the population are ongoing. It’s important for an expert trying to capture a python to control its head, as it’s the most powerful part of the snake and allows it to strike and bite. A free head also allows the snake to navigate in its ability to wrap around a victim.
That being said, the best way to safely handle a wild snake if possible is with a long hook. The strategy would be to pull it from its hiding spot and pin its head to the ground with it. You would then take your free hand and place it on the back of the head to control it. If capturing the snake is desired, you’d need a safe bag. You would then take the bag and secure the snake behind its head through the bag, then pull the snake through it. Once the entire snake is inside, you’d seal the bag with a strong tape, then put it in a second bag.
We stress that this is a way for experts to capture snakes. It is not advised that you try this yourself.
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