Indonesian villagers brutally slaughtered close to 300 crocodiles after a man was killed at a breeding farm, authorities have said.
Armed with knives, hammers and clubs, villagers reportedly killed 292 of the animals in revenge after the man was attacked after entering the farm.
The 48-year-old victim was probably picking grass for animal feed when he was killed, according to Indonesia’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency.
Images released by local media show bloodied animal carcasses piled high in the Sorong district of the eastern Indonesian province of West Papua.
“An employee heard someone screaming for help, he quickly went there and saw a crocodile attacking someone,” said Basar Manullang, head of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency.
After the victim’s burial on Saturday, villagers entered the farm and killed all the crocodiles, he added.
Local media claim the villagers first attacked the office of the crocodile farm and then descended on the animals.
The farm had been given a licence to breed the protected species of saltwater and New Guinea crocodiles in 2013 for conservation purposes and to harvest some of the animals.
But one of the conditions was that the reptiles did not disturb the community, said Mr Manullang.
“To prevent this from happening again, farming licence holders need to secure surrounding areas,” he explained.
“Crocodiles are God’s creatures that need to be protected too.”
The Natural Resources Conservation Agency said it was coordinating with police efforts to investigate the incident.
Additional reporting by Reuters
