In 1962, anthropologist Thomas Headland moved to Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines, setting up camp with the Agta people. While moviegoers watched Lawrence of Arabia, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, and the world focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Agta were living like ancient hunter-gatherers in the Filipino rainforests.
They were also at war with the local snake population. A quarter of the men had been attacked by reticulated pythons. The longest snake in the world, this creature can grow to over 7 meters (23 ft) and can weigh over 75 kilograms (165 lb). Compare that to the average Agta, who stands less than 150 centimeters (5′) and rarely weighs as much as an American 13-year-old.
Since they were small, lived in the jungle, and competed with pythons over food, the Agta often came to blows with these giant snakes. Out of 120 interviewees, Headland found 26 percent of the men had encountered angry pythons, and many bore the scars to back up their claims. Between the 1940s and 1970s, six people were killed by these snakes, including two kids who were gobbled up on the same night.
The Agta didn’t just sit back and let these serpents slither all over them. Every single man had killed at least one python in his life—or so each claimed, at least. The men regularly went around armed with guns and machetes. The father of the kids who were eaten stabbed the python responsible to death.
There aren’t as many “man vs. snake†battles on Luzon today. Thanks to encroaching modernization, the Agta have largely given up their old way of life. Since they’re no longer living in the middle of snake country, the attack rates have dropped dramatically. But the reticulated pythons are still out there, hunting in the jungle, so if you ever visit Luzon, stick to the cities. --
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