Video posted Nov. 7 shows the guide dragged underwater on Borneo before colleagues free him and release the snake.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — An experienced snake handler leading a river tour on Borneo was yanked off a boat by a large python that wrapped around his neck, prompting a frantic rescue by crew members seen in a video published Friday, Nov. 7.
The footage, shot during a guided river trip on the Indonesian side of Borneo, captures the moment the guide, identified by colleagues as Heru, grabbed a python near its head along a vegetated bank. The snake pulled him into the water and coiled around his torso, arms and neck. Fellow crew members leapt in, pried at the coils and secured the animal’s head and tail. The guide resurfaced and, after a struggle, was freed with no serious injuries. The python, measured by the crew at roughly six meters, was later photographed and released.
Witnesses said the group first spotted the snake resting near the shoreline before Heru reached down to control it from the bow. In seconds, he disappeared under the surface as the reptile tightened. A colleague who helped hold the head said the team moved on instinct once the coils reached the guide’s neck. “It was the biggest and strongest we have seen,” said crew member Mohamad Alisa, who appeared in the video. The recording shows at least two rescuers in the water while others on the boat hold the hull steady against the bank and keep sight of the thrashing tail until the coils loosen.
Officials and local guides said pythons common to the region, including the reticulated python, are nonvenomous constrictors that ambush prey at river margins and in flooded forest. They kill by pressure on the chest and neck, not by crushing bones. The animal in the video appears to wrap from the waist upward, a pattern herpetologists say can hinder breathing within moments. The team reported the snake at about six meters, or roughly 19 feet, and described it as heavy-bodied with a broad head. The guide did not require hospitalization, according to colleagues. It was not immediately clear which river reach on Borneo the tour covered, and authorities have not released an incident report.
Indonesia has recorded rare but documented fatal encounters with large pythons in recent years, largely in rural areas near plantations and village fields. In several cases, villagers searching for missing residents found engorged snakes and recovered remains. On Borneo and other islands, river tours and logging canals cut through swampy forest where reticulated pythons hunt. Guides say their crews train to keep distance and to control a snake’s head if contact is unavoidable, though most sightings end with the animal retreating into cover. Seasonal high water pushes wildlife closer to boat routes, experienced operators note, increasing chance encounters along eroded banks.
Colleagues said the python in Friday’s video was restrained after the rescue, photographed for records and released back to the bank without further incident. Local conservation workers often document unusual wildlife encounters to share sizes, patterns and locations with researchers. Police and wildlife officers had not announced a formal review as of Sunday. If a statement is issued, it would typically confirm the location and any safety steps for operators along the route. For now, crew members involved in the rescue say they plan to debrief the sequence, from the first sighting to the moment the coils reached the guide’s neck, to tighten on-boat protocols during future river trips.
Boat staff who appeared in the video described a tense few minutes between submersion and release. One crewman said he held the head while another pulled the tail to reduce leverage. “We just kept talking to him to stay calm while we unlocked the coils,” Alisa said. A passenger can be heard shouting as the guide gasps on the surface, then coughs once freed. The riverbank is muddy and choked with roots; the boat’s bow is wedged in as rescuers brace themselves. Afterward, the soaked crew regrouped on deck and checked the guide’s neck and arms for cuts before powering away from the spot.
The guide is back with his team and resting, colleagues said Sunday, Nov. 9. Authorities had not scheduled a briefing as of midafternoon. Operators expect routine checks of permits and route logs this week if officials open an inquiry into the incident and confirm the exact river section shown in the video.
Author note: Last updated November 9, 2025.