Crocs killed in ‘revenge rampage’

JAKARTA: An angry mob slaughtered nearly 300 crocodiles in Indonesia on Saturday after a local man was killed by one of the reptiles.

The “revenge killing” happened in Papua province after the funeral of the man, who died when he fell into an enclosure at a crocodile farm while looking for grass to feed his livestock, police said.

The victim, identified as 48-yearold Sugito, was bitten on the leg and then fatally “tail swiped” by one of the crocodiles.

Sugito’s relatives and l ocal residents, angry over the farm’s location near a residential area, marched to the local police station, authorities said.

Local conservation agency head Bassar Manulang said they were told that the farm had agreed to pay compensation.

“We made an agreement with the victim’s family and conveyed our condolences,” he said.

But the mob, which numbered in the “hundreds”, was not satisfied and headed to the crocodile farm armed with knives, machetes and shovels which they used to slaughter some 292 crocs, from four-inch-long babies to two-metre adults.

Outnumbered p o l i c e a n d conservation agency officials said they were unable to stop the grisly attack. Authorities said they are investigating and may lay criminal charges.

“For now, we are still questioning the witnesses,” said Dewa Made Sidan Sutrahna, the police chief in Papua’s Sorong district.

The Indonesian archipelago is home to a vast array of wildlife, including several species of crocodile that regularly attack and kill humans. – AFP

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