Three children, a dirt slope and a python estimated at six metres
A video circulating on social media shows three children climbing onto a giant snake, sitting on its body and sliding along it on a dirt slope, while adults nearby watch and record with smartphones. The footage, described as coming from Indonesia, spread through posts dated November 9 and 10, 2026, drawing concern about children being allowed within reach of such a powerful animal.
Contents
The snake is described as a reticulated python approximately six metres long, nearly 20 feet. It lies across bare ground near a residence as the children use its body like a slide. At least one child sits directly on the reptile, while others move alongside it. The animal moves its head and is described as moving across the slope during the interaction.
The video's authenticity, recording date and exact location have not been independently verified. West Java has been named as the location, and the snake has been described as an animal called Abo, but those details remain unconfirmed. Specialists have not confirmed the species identification, the length is an estimate, and the circumstances of the handling, including whether any substance affected the animal, are unknown.
The central concern is straightforward: a python does not need venom to cause serious injury. Reticulated pythons use their mouths and muscular bodies to capture and overpower prey. An animal of the reported size can present a serious danger to a child, even when it appears quiet during a short recording.
The adults' apparent willingness to keep filming has become a focus of online reactions. Viewers have questioned why the children were allowed to climb onto the snake and have called for greater attention to supervision and wildlife safety.
What the footage shows
The setting appears to be a dirt yard beside a home, with an incline that allows a child to slide along the snake's body. Descriptions place the scene in an apparently rural area. Adults stand a few metres away, close enough to watch and record the interaction.
One child climbs onto the reptile and uses the slope to slide down. Other children approach, sit on the snake or run nearby. The scene has attracted attention because their behaviour resembles ordinary playground activity, despite the size and strength of the animal beneath them.
The python appears largely still in parts of the footage, although its head moves and other descriptions show its body moving along the ground. No aggressive response is described during the recorded interaction. For a child sitting directly on the animal, however, even a sudden movement would leave little room to get away.
The contrast between the children's relaxed behaviour and the animal's physical power explains much of the concern. The immediate issue is the close contact itself: children are placing their bodies against a large constrictor while the nearby adults continue recording.
How the clip circulated
Posts dated November 9 and 10 carried the footage across X, followed by wider coverage in several languages. Those dates relate to its online circulation rather than an established date for the encounter.
- November 9, 2026: X posts attributed to Medya 3 and SATYENDER SIROHA circulated the scene as footage from Indonesia.
- November 9, 2026, at 17:51 GMT: A publication described children sliding on the python while adults watched from a few metres away.
- November 10, 2026: An X post attributed to Radar Africa described children sliding down the snake, sitting on it and running around it.
- November 10, 2026: Further coverage repeated the safety concerns and cautioned that the video's authenticity and circumstances had not been independently verified.
The descriptions consistently focus on the same striking elements: young children, a very large snake, sloping ground and adults with phones. Public reactions have centred on the children's proximity to the reptile and the adults' apparent acceptance of the activity.
No reliable viewing total accompanies these accounts. The clip's circulation across several platforms and publications has nevertheless brought a small, poorly documented encounter into a much wider discussion about how people handle large snakes.
Why a python can be dangerous without venom
Reticulated pythons, scientifically named Malayopython reticulatus, live in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. They are among the world's longest snakes and can exceed six metres. Their diet includes mammals and birds.
A reticulated python is a constrictor. It catches prey with its mouth, wraps its body around it and tightens its coils. The pressure disrupts the body's vital functions and can cause death. Venom plays no part in that method of hunting.
A bite also presents a risk. A child does not have to be caught in coils to suffer an injury during close contact with a large snake. Its mouth, muscular strength and ability to move suddenly make climbing onto it dangerous.
Children are especially exposed in the positions shown. Sitting on the snake places a child's body directly against it, while sliding and running nearby create repeated movement around the animal. A startled or disturbed python may react quickly, leaving a young child little opportunity to move clear.
The six metre estimate helps convey the scale involved. Reticulated pythons can grow beyond that length, so the description falls within the species' known size range. A proper measurement would require controlled handling by people qualified to manage the animal.
Why the adults' response matters
Adults appear in the footage watching and using smartphones as the children continue playing. Their behaviour has drawn criticism because the children are close enough to touch, climb onto and put their weight on the snake.
Young children depend on adults to set limits around unfamiliar animals. In this scene, the physical distance between the children and the python has disappeared completely. The adults' immediate responsibility would be to stop further contact and keep the children away from the animal.
Recording an encounter can also prolong it. As one child slides and others approach, the activity becomes something to repeat for the camera. Each new approach brings another opportunity for an unexpected movement, a bite or contact with the snake's coils.
The animal's welfare matters as well. Children sitting on or sliding over a living reptile subject it to pressure and disturbance. Keeping people off its body would reduce that disturbance while also reducing the danger to those nearby.
Indonesia has recorded fatal encounters
Indonesia has experienced fatal attacks involving large pythons. In 2024, a woman aged 45 was found dead inside a python approximately five metres long in South Sulawesi. A similar case was recorded in the same province in 2023.
The reported five metre length in the 2024 case gives readers a concrete comparison with the roughly six metre estimate attached to the viral video. Large pythons have the physical capacity to kill a person, which is why direct contact requires serious caution.
Attacks on people are relatively uncommon. Pythons can nevertheless appear in rural areas and near homes where potential prey is present. A yard beside a residence can therefore become a place where people and a large snake encounter each other at close range.
The practical response is to leave a large snake alone, keep children away and have trained professionals manage the animal. Trying to ride, restrain or move it adds direct contact to an already difficult situation.
What safer supervision would look like
Families encountering a large snake should stop children from approaching it and avoid gathering around it for photographs or videos. A quiet animal still needs space. Handling belongs with people trained to understand the species and control the risks.
Adults can give children a simple rule: watch wildlife from a distance rather than touching or climbing onto it. The same rule protects the child and limits disturbance to the animal. The python video makes that lesson concrete because the risky behaviour is visible in ordinary actions, sitting, sliding and running, transferred to a living predator.
The useful response to the clip is therefore more practical than astonishment. Children need separation from a large snake, adults need to end the contact, and qualified handlers need to take responsibility for any necessary intervention.
Key Points
- A circulating video shows three children climbing onto and sliding along a giant snake while adults record nearby.
- The footage is described as coming from Indonesia, with West Java named in one account, but its authenticity, recording date and exact location remain unverified.
- The animal is described as a reticulated python roughly six metres long; its identity and size have not been professionally confirmed.
- Reticulated pythons are nonvenomous constrictors whose bites and muscular bodies can cause serious injury.
- Posts carrying the footage circulated on November 9 and 10, 2026.
- Children should be kept away from large snakes, with handling left to trained professionals.
