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Friday, November 29, 2013

Reptile serial killer saga? Hoax? Truth behind viral story of drunk Indian swallowed by python



People really do love thrillers and going out. This week everyone was discussing an accident at the same time worth featuring in another anaconda movie and a documentary covering the dangers of heavy drinking. A story about a python eating a drunk man in India rapidly went viral with tens of thousands of retweets and shares online… but turned out to be a hoax.

The story goes as such - a drunk man in southern India passed out by the side of the road after a drink or two too many and a passing python had the unlucky man for dinner.
The Russian state-run news outlet Pravda covered the story. "The incident occurred in the state of Kerala, in the southwest of the country. The drunk man was peacefully sleeping near the shop, when the python approached him, strangled the man and swallowed him whole."
According the report, the snake could not move after such a "hearty dinner". "The next morning, local residents found the gigantic bloated python on the doorstep of the shop. People had to kill the snake to take the man's body out."
However, all was not as it appeared. David Emery with About.com wrote that the photo, which shows a python with a large object inside of it as people stand nearby, has been around for at least two years.
Depending on which version of the story you read, the overstuffed python above also swallowed an unknown woman in South Africa, an unknown man in Qujing, China, a person of unknown gender in Indonesia, or a 4-year-old child in Malaysia, he wrote.
There have also been stories that the snake was found in a game reserve before eating its rescuer.
Emery added that the photo more likely than not documents a python digesting a big animal such as a goat or a deer. The snake could indeed eat a man though.
What if this python is a serial killer? Resurrecting and travelling all over the world, always hungry... Who will the snake eat next? And, more importantly, where will the unfortunate victim be devoured? If you plan on getting really drunk this Friday night, think twice. 'Cause there might be a python around the corner waiting for a snack.

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