A 44-year-old woman has been mauled to death by a giant pet crocodile at a pearl farm on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Deasy Tuwo was feeding the 700kg reptile, named Merry, when it attacked her on 10 January.
The crocodile, measuring 4.4 metres in length, is believed to have bitten off Ms Tuwo's arm and most of her abdomen. The animal was being kept illegally at the farm, where Ms Tuwo worked as head of the laboratory.
Local conservation agency officials said they had tried to visit the facility several times in the past to remove the crocodile but were refused entry. 'We've come here a few times but the fences are always locked,' said Hendriks Rundengan from the North Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency.
Some reports suggest the crocodile dragged Ms Tuwo into its enclosure, but officials believe she may have fallen in. The reptile has been relocated to a conservation site while police search for its owner, a Japanese national who owns both the farm and the crocodile.
Crocodiles are estimated to kill about 1,000 humans per year worldwide, and Indonesia is home to several species that regularly attack and kill people. In the current case, authorities suspect Ms Tuwo's body parts may still be inside the crocodile.
