Villagers slaughter nearly 300 crocodiles in revenge for killing

A mob has slaughtered nearly 300 crocodiles at a breeding ground in Indonesia’s West Papua province in retaliation for the death of a local man.

Basar Manullang, the head of the local natural resources and conservation agency, said 292 crocodiles were killed by dozens of villagers on Saturday following the funeral of a 48-year-old man who was killed by crocodiles after entering the area around the breeding pond.

The man was believed to have entered the sanctuary in the Klamalu area of Sorong district to cut grass for his cattle.

Police are encouraging mediation between the victim’s family and Mitra Lestari Abadi, the company that operates the sanctuary.

Mr Manullang said: “Since killing the crocodiles is illegal, we are co-ordinating with the police for the investigation.”

The agency said villagers were armed with machetes, hammers, shovels and other sharp weapons.

They killed two large crocodiles up to 13 feet long and many babies measuring just 20-60in.

Photographs taken after the incident showed a large pile of bloodied carcasses in the Sorong district, which is in the far east of Indonesia.

Witnesses said about 40 policemen came to the scene but were too outnumbered to stop the mob.

Officers later said about five witnesses have been questioned but no suspects have been named.

Speaking to a local newspaper, a local resident gave details of the man who had died, saying: “His family said that Sugito, who worked at a tofu factory, was looking for grass for his cattle when a local resident heard him shouting for help but [...] Sugito was found dead.”

The crocodile farm was run legally and had an official permit issued by the environment and forestry ministry, Mr Manullang said.

“The crocodile slaughter violated the law on destroying others’ property,” he added.

Local media claim the villagers first attacked the office of the crocodile farm and then descended on the animals.

Mr Manullang said the sanctuary had been granted a licence in 2013 to breed protected saltwater and New Guinea crocodiles for preservation and also to harvest some of them.

But one of the conditions was that the reptiles did not disturb the community, Manullang added.

“To prevent this from happening again, farming licence holders need to secure surrounding areas,” he said.

He said his agency was coordinating with the police in their investigation into the incident.

“Crocodiles are God’s creatures that need to be protected too,” he added.