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Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Mum's gruesome death as she's killed and swallowed whole by gigantic python
The woman, 54, became the second person in Indonesia to be killed and digested by the snake species in just over a year as the animal is not known to attack humans A mum met a horrific end after she was killed and then eaten whole by a python. The woman, who lived inin a village in Indonesia, became the second person in the country to be killed and digested by the snake species in just over a year. Wa Tiba, 54, left her home on Muna island to visit her cornfield when she vanished, as reported by the Jakarta Post. The field was about 800m from her house in an area that was surrounded by caves, cliffs and several reticulated pythons - the longest snakes in the world. Pythons usually digest small mammals with attacks on humans supposed to be as rare as winning the lottery and being struck by lightning at the same time, according to a Washington Post report. However, back in 2017, the year before Wa's horrific death, a man's body was extracted from a 23-foot-long python, shown in a gruesome YouTube video, reports the Mirror US. Tiba had been worried about wild boars, not snakes, as she walked through her cornfield that night, reported the Jakarta Post. The pigs had been raiding the crops before she disappeared, which is why she had decided to conduct the inspection of her field. When she had not returned by sunrise, her sister set out to the field in an effort to look for her. But when she arrived there, her sibling found only Tiba's footprints, her torch, a machete and slippers. About 100 people from the village of Persiapan Lawela soon joined in the search as they gathered together to comb the fields, Agence France-Presse reported. The snake was found a few dozen yards from Tiba's belongings, reportedly measuring 23 feet in length and so bloated it could barely move. A long bulge midway down its body had an alarming look to it. The villagers killed the snake, laying it out on the ground. They then crowded around it, clamouring and crying, some recording videos as a man knelt and carefully cut across the bulge with a machete. He parted the snake flesh, revealing Tiba intact inside the snake, clothed just as she had been when she went to check her corn. Despite being intact, it's likely she didn't die inside the snake as reticulated pythons secure their prey with a bite, then wrap their body around the victim, squeezing until the victim cannot breathe, before consuming them, according to The Associated Press. It's incredibly rare for humans to be eaten, The Post wrote, stating that it's more common to see hoaxes. A single photo of a snake digesting a pig has previously been used to falsely claim attacks on humans in China, Africa and across Southeast Asia. The two victims in Indonesia were extremely unlucky to fall prey to this species of snake in what was described as very rare circumstances.
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Daily Record
Mum found dead inside gigantic python which had swallowed her whole
Wa Tiba, 54, was found dead in a 23ft-long python in Indonesia after she went missing when she went to check on her cornfield, making her the second person in Indonesia to be killed and swallowed by a python in little over a year A mother met a horrific end after she was killed and subsequently consumed by a python. The woman, a resident of a village, became the second individual in Indonesia to be killed and digested by this species of snake in just over a year. 54-year-old Wa Tiba left her home on Muna island to check her cornfield when she disappeared, as reported by the Jakarta Post. The field, situated about 800m from her house, was surrounded by caves, cliffs and several reticulated pythons - the world's longest snakes. Pythons typically prey on small mammals, with attacks on humans being as rare as winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning simultaneously, according to a report by the Washington Post. However, in 2017, the year prior to Wa's tragic death, a man's body was retrieved from a 23-foot-long python, as shown in a disturbing YouTube video, reports the Mirror US. Tiba had been worried about wild boars, not snakes, as she traversed her cornfield that night, the Jakarta Post reported. The pigs had been damaging the crops before she vanished, which is why she decided to inspect her field. When she failed to return by dawn, her sister ventured out to the field in an attempt to find her. Upon arrival, her sister discovered only Tiba's footprints, her torch, a machete and slippers. Approximately 100 villagers from Persiapan Lawela soon joined the search, combing the fields together, as reported by Agence France-Presse. The snake was found a few dozen yards from Tiba's belongings, reportedly measuring 23 feet long and so bloated it could barely move. A disturbing bulge midway down its body was clearly visible. The villagers killed the snake and laid it out on the ground. They gathered around it, some recording videos as a man carefully cut across the bulge with a machete. In a chilling echo of an incident on another island a year earlier, Tiba was found intact inside the snake, dressed as she had been when she went to check her corn. Despite being found whole, it is unlikely that she died inside the snake. Reticulated pythons typically secure their prey with a bite, then wrap their bodies around the victim, squeezing until the victim cannot breathe, before consuming them, according to The Associated Press. Human consumption by snakes is so rare, The Post noted, that hoaxes are more common. A single photo of a snake digesting a pig has previously been used to falsely claim attacks on humans in China, Africa and across Southeast Asia. The two victims in Indonesia were extraordinarily unfortunate to fall prey to this species of snake under such rare circumstances.
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Mum's horror death after being eaten by python who swallowed her whole
A mother met a horrifying end after she was killed and subsequently consumed by a python. The woman, a resident of a village, became the second individual in Indonesia to be killed and digested by this species of snake in just over a year. 54 year old Wa Tiba left her home on Muna Island to check on her cornfield when she disappeared, as reported by the Jakarta Post. The field, located approximately 800m from her house, was surrounded by caves, cliffs and several reticulated pythons - the world's longest snakes. Attacks on humans by pythons, which typically prey on small mammals, are supposed to be as rare as winning the lottery and being struck by lightning simultaneously, according to a report by the Washington Post. However, in 2017, the year prior to Wa's tragic death, a man's body was retrieved from a 23-foot-long python, as shown in a disturbing YouTube video, reports the Mirror US. According to the Jakarta Post, Tiba had been worried about wild boars, not snakes, as she walked through her cornfield that night. The pigs had been damaging the crops before she vanished, prompting her to inspect her field. When she failed to return by dawn, her sister ventured out to the field to search for her. Upon arrival, her sister discovered only Tiba's footprints, her torch, a machete and slippers. Approximately 100 villagers from Persiapan Lawela soon joined the search, combing the fields together, as reported by Agence France-Presse. The snake was found a few dozen yards from Tiba's belongings. Reportedly, it was 23 feet long and so bloated it could barely move. A long bulge midway down its body had an alarming appearance. The villagers killed the snake and laid it out on the ground. They then gathered around it, clamouring and crying, with some recording videos as a man knelt and carefully cut across the bulge with a machete. In a scene reminiscent of an incident on another island a year earlier, Tiba lay intact inside the snake, dressed as she had been when she went to check her corn. Despite being intact, she likely didn't die inside the snake as reticulated pythons secure their prey with a bite, then wrap their body around the victim, squeezing until the victim cannot breathe, before consuming them, according to The Associated Press. It's so rare for humans to be eaten, The Post wrote, that it's more common to see hoaxes. A single photo of a snake digesting a pig has previously been used to falsely claim attacks on humans in China, Africa and across Southeast Asia. The two victims in Indonesia were extremely unlucky to fall prey to this species of snake in what was described as very rare circumstances.
The Star
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Indonesian government races against time to launch Sekolah Rakyat aimed at providing free education for underprivileged children
JAKARTA (Jakarta Post/ANN): The government is moving at full speed to prepare for the launch of President Prabowo Subianto 's flagship education initiative, Sekolah Rakyat (community school), which aims to provide free boarding school education to underprivileged children from elementary to secondary levels. With the program scheduled to open in July, just months after its announcement, the focus has been on renovating state-owned buildings as well as recruiting teachers and support staff to meet the tight timeline. However, as the Public Works Ministry scrambles to retrofit dozens of facilities and the Social Affairs Ministry accelerates staffing efforts, critics warn that the program's foundation remains shaky, with key questions about planning, quality and inclusivity left unanswered. Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf says the new schools for the program will provide facilities on a par with top-tier institutions without tests on academic performance or IQ, which often restrict access to quality education. 'The only requirement to enter a Sekolah Rakyat is that the children come from poor families and have a willingness to learn,' Saifullah said on Wednesday in a statement on the ministry's website. But many are skeptical that the government's timeline allows for the delivery of meaningful quality education or a thorough assessment of students' needs. The Public Works Ministry began 65 renovation projects in early May, followed by another 35 scheduled projects, which aim to convert buildings managed by the Social Affairs Ministry or the local government into Sekolah Rakyat facilities. But the renovation drive sparked a public backlash last week after it displaced visually impaired students from a century-old special needs school to make way for the programme. The school is located in a rehabilitation center run by the Social Affairs Ministry in Bandung, West Java, part of which is being converted into a community school. In response to the criticism, the government has pledged to return the students to their former school once renovations are complete, adding that part of the new facility will be dedicated to accommodating visually impaired students. Meanwhile, the ministry has launched an online recruitment interview to select principals from a pool of 160. Successful candidates will then join a training program provided by the ministry, followed by an internship at existing schools that share the values of the Sekolah Rakyat programme. The online recruitment, managed in collaboration with the Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry, will then proceed with the selection of dormitory supervisors, wardens and teachers. Schools minister Abdul Mu'ti said on Wednesday that teachers would be selected from those currently working at schools rather than new graduates, Antara reported. The final quota for Sekolah Rakyat staff would depend on the number of schools ready to open by July, he added. Mohammad Nuh, who chairs the Sekolah Rakyat Formation Team, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the new program would use a three-stage curriculum framework geared toward developing the unique talents of each student. The first stage begins in June, when students arrive at the boarding schools, and is designed to evaluate their physical fitness and health, as well as academic abilities. The second stage begins when the school year starts in July, with all students following the national curriculum. The third stage runs concurrently with a special curriculum for evening classes developed by the Social Affairs Ministry, which focuses on character development, religious and civic values, digital literacy and essential life skills. 'The main point is talent mapping, as we want to develop each student's unique talents,' Nuh said. Fikri Muslim, an education expert with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), criticized Sekolah Rakyat as a hastily executed program with a political bent. 'The only real urgency seems to be fulfilling President Prabowo's campaign promise,' Fikri said on Thursday. He also questioned the use of repurposed buildings located far from the low-income communities they aimed to serve and chastised the recruitment scheme as poaching teachers from areas already struggling with shortages. Itje Chodidjah from the nonprofit Center for Education and Policy Studies (PSPK) warned the program risked doing more harm than good by isolating disadvantaged children in boarding schools disconnected from their families and communities. 'A big hindrance to their development is that they [will] feel mentally insecure outside their immediate family and community,' Itje said on Thursday. 'Sequestering dozens of [students] into a single compound could make them feel even more isolated.' She urged the government to address the psychosocial needs of disadvantaged children, not just focus on their intellectual and physical development. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
The Star
18-05-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Indonesia braces for forest and land fires ahead of dry season
JAKARTA (Jakarta Post/ANN): With some regions already seeing their land engulfed by wildfires, the government is intensifying efforts to mitigate the risk of forest and land fires as the country is expected to shift to the dry season in the coming weeks. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recently forecasted that most regions across the country will enter the dry season between April and June, with its peak expected to fall in August, exacerbating the risk of wildfire. As the nation transitions to the dry season, the Forestry Ministry has recorded 163 wildfire incidents in several provinces that burned more than 3,200 hectares (ha) of land and forest, totalling an area the size as Macao, within the first five months of the year according to data from the ministry's official wildfire monitoring platform SiPongi. Authorities have been using satellite imagery to monitor hotspots, or areas recorded as having higher temperatures compared to their surroundings. While hotspots are not necessarily wildfires, they may be indications of a potential fire, thus detecting them may help authorities in preventing forest and land fires. As of Wednesday (May 14), the ministry recorded at least 195 hotspots detected nationwide since the beginning of the year, according to Thomas Nifinluri, the forest and land fire control director at the Forestry Ministry. '[The ministry] is checking the hotspots on the ground for verification,' Thomas told The Jakarta Post. With the dry season approaching, he added that the ministry has been pushing several prevention measures, including joint patrols with military and police officers and regular fire monitoring. No complacency The number of detected hotspots so far is lower than compared with last year. But the lower number should not be a reason to be complacent, said Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq. 'Despite the decline, we must not be off guard. We have to be proactive, strengthening our early warning system and responding quicker to any signs of danger,' Hanif said last week, as quoted in a statement issued by the Environment Ministry. Other measures launched by the government to mitigate and prevent forest and land fires included launching a wildfire management desk in March. The desk would become a forum where various ministries and state institutions coordinate in anticipating forest fires during the upcoming dry season. The wildfire desk has put its attention on seven provinces deemed prone to wildfires, namely Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. Recorded as having the largest areas of burned lands during the fire season each year, these provinces are also home to large areas of peatland. The ecosystem is often dried to be converted into various plantations, including oil palm. Hanif, whose ministry is part of the wildfire desk, urged companies under the Indonesian Oil Palm Association (Gapki) to push for more forest and land fire prevention measures to help the government achieve its zero wildfire target by this year. President Prabowo Subianto reportedly set the target of zero forest and land fires this year when pushing for the establishment of the wildfire desk, which is placed under the Office of the Coordinating Politics and Security Minister. The government set the target after acknowledging the geopolitical cost of forest and land fires. In the past, Indonesia had been blamed by Malaysia, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries for the transboundary haze from the massive wildfires burning in Sumatra and Kalimantan in 2015, 2019 and 2023. The fires in the three years were larger compared to the usual years due to El Niño climactic phenomenon, which tends to bring hotter and drier air to the Indonesian archipelago. Prevention first Despite the target, several regions put under the government's special attention have been experiencing forest and land fires since the start of the year. Riau is among the worst, with almost 700 ha, a total area the size of 980 soccer pitches, burned since January, many of which were peatlands. The figure accounts for around 21 percent of the total burned land across the archipelago. 'Even without being deliberately burned, peatlands can still potentially be engulfed in flames due to strong winds, with more damage observed during the dry season. Mitigation efforts must be carried out even before the fire appears,' BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said. The weather agency has been working with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to launch a week-long cloud seeding operation since early May to prevent fires in Riau from prolonging. But hotspots and fires were still detected, forcing the regional administration to declare a state of emergency for fire hazards. Other provinces, such as Aceh and East Nusa Tenggara, are also working to prevent forest and land fires, after both provinces suffered from wildfires last year. In 2024, Indonesia saw 376,000 ha burned by wildfires, an area the size of almost six Jakartas. The figure, however, was a 67 percent decrease compared with the previous year. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
