Angry mob slaughters 'hundreds' of crocodiles in revenge attack

The slaughter was in retaliation for a local man thought to have been killed by one animal from the site. Pic/AFP

An angry mob has slaughtered nearly 300 crocodiles in Indonesia after a local man was killed by one of the reptiles, authorities said.

The revenge killing happened on Saturday in Papua province following the funeral of a man, who perished when he fell into an enclosure at a crocodile farm, police and conservation officials said.

The victim, identified as 48-year-old Sugito, was bitten on the leg and then fatally struck with a tail of one of the crocodiles, which are a protected species, they said.

Sugito's relatives and local 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. But the mob 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, authorities said. Police and officials said they were unable to stop the attack. Authorities said they are investigating and may lay criminal charges.

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