West Papua official says locals slaughtered 292 crocodiles using hammers and clubs

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

People armed with knives, hammers and clubs have slaughtered 292 crocodiles after a man was killed by one of the reptiles at a breeding farm in West Papua, Indonesia.

Photographs released by the Antara news agency showed a large pile of bloodied carcasses in the Sorong district.

The head of Indonesia’s natural resources conservation agency in West Papua said it was thought the victim, 48, was picking grass for animal feed when he was attacked.

“An employee heard someone screaming for help, he quickly went there and saw a crocodile attacking someone,” said Basar Manullang.

After the man was buried on Saturday, villagers entered the farm and killed all the crocodiles, Manullang said.

He said the farm had been granted a licence in 2013 to breed protected saltwater and New Guinea crocodiles for preservation and also to harvest some of them. But one of the conditions was that the reptiles did not disturb the community, Manullang added.

“To prevent this from happening again, farming licence holders need to secure surrounding areas,” he said.

Manullang said his agency was coordinating with the police in their investigation into the incident.