The case of a python preying on a resident in South Buton, Southeast Sulawesi, and the recent appearance of dozens of pythons on the shores of Lake Buyan, Bali, have captured the public’s attention. This phenomenon raises a big question in the community: what is really going on behind the conflict between humans and pythons?
IPB University Wildlife Ecology Expert, Dr Abdul Haris Mustari, also a lecturer at the Department of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, explained that the conflict between humans and pythons is not new.
“This conflict has occurred in the last decade. The main factors are deforestation and habitat fragmentation,” he said.
Fragmentation, said Dr Haris, refers to the clearing of forests for mining, oil palm plantations, rubber, settlements, and infrastructure projects. This condition has resulted in pythons losing their natural living space.
“In the past, the forest was a place for pythons to shelter and get their prey. Now, many forest areas have changed,” he explained.
Due to the loss of natural vegetation, direct contact between humans and wildlife, including pythons, has increased.
“What is actually happening is not that animals are entering villages, and plantations and other anthropogenic activities, but that ‘villages and humans are increasingly entering the forest’,” he said.
As a result, populations of pythons’ natural prey, such as wild boar (Sus spp.), deer (Cervidae), deer (Muntiacus muntjak), and some primates, are decreasing. This forces pythons to seek alternative prey in people’s gardens and settlements, ranging from chickens, goats, cows, and even in extreme cases: humans.
Dr Haris explains the characteristics of pythons as opportunistic predators. “The python only preys on live animals. It ambushes its prey, wraps around it, breaks the prey’s bones, then swallows it whole,” he explained.
With an adaptive nature that allows pythons to live in primary, secondary forests, and around waterways in urban areas, Dr Haris believes that mitigation measures need to be taken immediately.
“Short-term solutions must be done through risk zoning and community education. More important is to protect habitats such as primary forests, secondary forests, karst areas, and riparian forests (forests directly adjacent to water bodies),” he said.
He added that there is a need for a human-wildlife conflict map system, especially settlements and human activities on the edge of the forest. Red zones can be established as mitigation measures based on GPS data from previous incidents.
“Education is also important. Many cases occur because people do not know how to recognize pythons or evacuation steps when dealing with snakes,” he said. (dr) (IAAS/RWA)
