Pythons

[peter]

MENDES

I've dozens of old books about Indonesia. When the Dutch were there (referring to the colonial period), not a few hunters, naturalists and biologists wrote about the incredible world they saw. Back then, the natural world was all but untouched. One of the first books I read as a child was 'Harimau'. As far as I know, it wasn't translated. The book was written by a hunter who really knew a few things about tigers. One of the tigers he never shot was 'Harimau'. He followed the tiger at intervals and knew more than enough to write a great book. I recently found and bought it. 

Back then, even professional hunters not always shot the tiger they were after when they had the opportunity. The reason was respect. The tiger they followed, judging from what I read, most probably knew more about the hunter than the hunter knew about him. During his quest, the hunter saw, and described, most animals of Sumatra. This large island not only had tigers, but many (smaller representatives of large) herbivores typical for southern Asia. He also saw crocs and pythons. Some of them were captured after they broke the secret 'Treaty' that existed between man and beast for a very long time. The treaty in which both promised to not molest the other. But a promise is different from compelling conditions. Meaning humans have been killed and consumed by large carnivores. Every time the treaty was broken, the killer was hunted by local people. Pythons well exceeding 20 feet have been seen by quite a few hunters and biologists in Sumatra, but the longest pythons (23 feet and over) were found on Celebes (Sulawesi). 

These days, the treaty I referred to is all but forgotten. The reason is the human population exploded. They need room. Forests are burned or cut and wild animals are on their way out nearly everywhere. In the early fifties of the last century, the Dutch and those who assisted them had to go. Not a few ended up in the neighbourhood where I lived. The grandfather of one of my friends (a neighbour) had a few skulls of wild tigers and the skin (and head) of what I later learned was a python. It was so long, I couldn't believe my eyes. Same for the stories he told me. His adult son, also from Indonesia, told me most of them were 'hunter stories', but the old man, in my eyes, was very sincere. This is the fate of many old people who were born and raised in a period man and beast were living in close proximity. 

In Surinam and Guyana, I visited people who caught and sold wild animals. In spite of the permit, most of what they did was illegal. But they knew things I was interested in and they had animals I had never seen before. One of them was a very large snake. I didn't see the head, but the pile of muscle before me was impressive. The snake had been caught by Indians upstream after yet another child had suddenly disappeared. Although anacondas not often attack humans, the Indians I met were positively afraid of it. The immense snake, most unfortunately, didn't make it to the (foreign) facility that was interested. Adult wild animals, and large predators in particular, often quickly perish when captured. They seem to 'know' what the future holds and leave well before their time. Intentionally? Maybe. Wild animals are enigmas.     

They are many stories about unknown creatures and anacondas well exceeding 30 feet, but I never found reliable evidence. However. The forest, in spite of the very serious efforts of those burning it every year, still is the largest in the world. There are no doubt regions never visited by those who write books. But a 21-feet snake exceeding 400 pounds in today's world? Very unlikely. And yet. Reply