- An angry mob slaughtered nearly 300 crocodiles at a breeding ground in the Indonesian province of West Papua after a villager was killed by one of the reptiles on Friday morning.
- The local man was killed by crocodiles after entering the area around the breeding pond.
- Following the man’s funeral, villagers entered the farm armed with knives, shovels, and hammers where they proceeded to kill 292 crocodiles.
- The farm had been given a license to breed protected saltwater and New Guinea crocodiles in for preservation.
An angry mob armed with knives, shovels and hammers have slaughtered nearly 300 crocodiles after a man was killed by a reptile in Indonesia.
The mob invaded a sanctuary for the animals in the Indonesian province of West Papua after the man’s funeral on Saturday.
The brutal attack was in retaliation for the death of the villager who was killed on Friday morning while gathering vegetables on the crocodile farm’s breeding sanctuary.
Officials and police say they were not able to stop the attack on the animals and may now press charges against those who attacked them.
Killing a protected species is currently a crime that carries a fine or imprisonment in Indonesia.
The head of Indonesia’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency in West Papua, Basar Manullang told Reuters: “An employee heard someone screaming for help, he quickly went there and saw a crocodile attacking someone.”
He added that after the local man’s funeral, villagers entered the farm armed with knives, shovels and hammers and killed 292 crocodiles.
Mr. Manullang said the farm had been given a license to breed protected saltwater and New Guinea crocodiles in 2013 for preservation and also to harvest some of the animals.
But one of the conditions was that the reptiles did not disturb the community, he said.
He added: “Crocodiles are God’s creatures that need to be protected too.”
Source: Evening Standard
