A mob of Indonesian villagers slaughtered hundreds of crocodiles in revenge for the death of a local man killed by one of the aquatic reptiles at a breeding farm.

Hundreds of locals armed with knives, machetes and shovels descended upon the crocodile farm, in the West Papua province, on Saturday following the man’s funeral and carried out the croc massacre.

The victim, identified as Sugito, died after he fell into an enclosure at the farm while looking for grass to feed his livestock on Friday. He was bitten on the leg before being fatally struck by the tail of one of the crocodiles, according to police and conservation officials.

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Family members and locals were enraged by the incident and blamed the close vicinity of the reptile farm to a residential area, reported Indonesian media outlet Kompass. “The breeding should not be open and these animals should be placed away from the farm location of livestock,” one local resident said.

“The residents used knives to slaughter the crocodiles,” an eyewitness told The Jakarta Post. “The crocodiles were caught and dragged outside and stabbed to death. It was so horrid to see.”

Almost 300 captive crocodiles were killed in the savage attack, ranging from four-inch-long babies to two-meter adults. Photos of the aftermath show hundreds of bloodied carcasses piled on top of each other while villagers, including children, look on.

Police say they tried to stop the mass killing but were outnumbered by the mob, which reportedly involved hundreds of angry family members and residents.

Authorities said they are investigating the attack and have not ruled out the possibility of pressing criminal charges. “For now we are still questioning the witnesses,” said Dewa Made Sidan Sutrahna, the Sorong district’s police chief.

West Papua Natural Resources Conservation Agency chief Basar Manullang criticised the retaliatory attack, saying the farm operated legally but that the crocodile slaughter “violated the law on destroying others’ property.” The farm had also agreed to pay the family compensation, according to Manullang.

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