麻豆传媒

Skip to main content

A crocodile was terrorizing this Australian town. So residents cooked and ate it

The saltwater crocodile had been blamed for devouring pets and chasing children. (Northern Territory Police via CNN Newsource) The saltwater crocodile had been blamed for devouring pets and chasing children. (Northern Territory Police via CNN Newsource)
Share

A remote Australian community has taken revenge on a massive saltwater crocodile by eating the 3.6-metre (11.8-foot) beast blamed for devouring pets and chasing children.

On Wednesday, police in the town of Bulla in Australia鈥檚 Northern Territory shot the crocodile after deeming it a 鈥渟ignificant risk to the community.鈥

In a , Northern Territory Police said the predator 鈥渉ad been stalking and lunging out of the water at children and adults鈥 and had 鈥渁lso reportedly taken multiple community dogs.鈥

In a waste-conscious move, the crocodile was 鈥減repared for a feast in the traditional manner,鈥 police said, but not before authorities took the opportunity to give local children an impromptu 鈥渃rocodile safety session,鈥 including an 鈥渦p-close look at the dangers within our waterways.鈥

Speaking to public broadcaster ABC, Northern Territory Police Sergeant Andrew McBride said the animal was 鈥渃ooked up into crocodile tail soup, he was on the barbecue, a few of the pieces were wrapped up in banana leaves and cooked underground.鈥

鈥淚t was a rather large traditional feast and there were a few full bellies,鈥 Sergeant McBride said.

Both the saltwater and freshwater crocodile species are protected in Australia, where hunting the animals has been banned by federal law since 1971 鈥 a time when poaching had driven them close to extinction.

Numbers have boomed in the decades since, with the Northern Territory now home to some 100,000 crocodiles, according to the local government.

Thousands more crocodiles are distributed across the north of neighbouring states Queensland and Western Australia.

鈥淎ny body of water in The Top End may contain large and potentially dangerous crocodiles,鈥 said government wildlife specialist Kristen Hay, using a colloquial name for the Northern Territory.

The territory鈥檚 website notes that saltwater crocodiles can grow to six metres (20 feet), weigh up to a ton and 鈥渨ill eat just about anything.鈥

That means interactions between crocodiles and humans can be fatal, and park rangers across northern Australia remove hundreds of saltwater crocodiles from populated areas each year.

In April, a 16-year-old boy was killed by a crocodile in northern Queensland while attempting to swim to shore after his boat broke down. Last year, the remains of a 64-year-old fisherman were recovered from inside a crocodile, also in Queensland.

A nine-year-old boy was lucky to survive a crocodile attack in the Northern Territory鈥檚 Kakadu National Park in January, after being hospitalized with 鈥減uncture wounds.鈥

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The calls are growing louder for city council to tighten the rules governing short-term accommodations, including those advertised on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo, after students arrived by the busload at a rented house in the Masonville neighbourhood.

Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton are apparently distant relatives

Genealogy and family tree tracking site Ancestry announced on Monday that by using 鈥渂illions of historical records and public family trees,鈥 they鈥檝e discovered that the two music powerhouses are actually seventh cousins, once removed.

Local Spotlight

Giant gourds took over a Manitoba community this weekend.

Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.

Before influencers on social media, Canada鈥檚 Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary鈥檚 Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.