Dog-eating crocodile that terrorized Australian town is killed and eaten by residents: ‘It never gets boring’

A saltwater crocodile terrorized a remote Australian community by grabbing dogs and pouncing on children – only to die during a feast prepared by locals. The 3.6-meter-long reptile “sneaked up from the water and pounced on children and adults,” Northern Territory police said in a statement.

“The crocodile reportedly also took several dogs from the community.”

After discussions with elders and traditional landowners of the Bulla community, police shot dead the scaly predator on Tuesday, police said.

“The community prepared it in the traditional way for a festival,” they said.

The crocodile wandered into a river near homes in the area, about a six-hour drive south of Darwin, during flooding earlier this year, police said.

The animal was eventually used as the main ingredient in various dishes, Sergeant Andrew McBride told Australian public broadcaster ABC.

“I believe it was made into a crocodile tail soup that was cooked on the grill, some pieces were wrapped in banana leaves and cooked underground,” McBride said.

“There was quite a big traditional celebration.”

Commander Kylie Anderson said “crocodiles can pose a significant threat to community safety” and praised officials and residents for working closely together to address the problem.

“Remote policing is never boring,” Anderson said.

The Northern Territory government says it uses “a risk-based strategic management approach to determine the level of management action” for crocodiles.

Crocodiles are very mobileand have had regular dangerous encounters with humans in Australia. Earlier this year, a crocodile on board a fishing boat in Queensland while the man was fishing in a stream on New Year’s Eve.

Last year, Australia’s Northern Territory’s top politician said it was “time to think about resuming crocodile hunting” after a Attack at a popular bathing spot.

In May 2023, a man was attacked by a crocodile while snorkeling off the coast of North Queensland, Australia – and survived by spreading his jaws from his head. In the same month Remains of an Australian man who went missing during a fishing trip in crocodile-infested waters were found in the bodies of two reptiles.