An Indonesian woman has died after being savagely mauled by a secret “pet” crocodile.
Deasy Tuwo, 44, disappeared after going to feed Merry, a 700kg crocodile allegedly being kept illegally in a pool at the pearl farm where she worked as a lead laboratory scientist, the BBC reports.
Her “badly mauled body was found by colleagues the following morning”, says the Jakarta Post.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The scientist was “still in the animal's jaws”, says Sky News, and co-workers “struggled to free her remains as it thrashed around”.
Investigators believe the 14ft-long reptile attacked her after she fell into the enclosure, biting off “her arm and most of her abdomen”.
Merry was sedated and removed from the site in a “three-hour operation that involved dozens of people, including conservation officials, the army and police”, says the Jakarta Post. The animal has been transferred to a wildlife rescue centre.
Hendriks Rundengan from the North Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency told BBC Indonesian that officials had heard reports of the crocodile being kept illegally, but had been unable to investigate.
“We've come here a few times but the fences are always locked,” he said.
Indonesian police are reportedly attempting to track down a Japanese national who is said to be the owner of the pearl farm and the crocodile.
Crocodile attacks are not uncommon in Indonesia, home to several species of the reptile. In July last year, an angry mob slaughtered almost 300 crocodiles at a farm on island of West Papua after a local man was mauled to death.
-
Local elections 2026: where are they and who is expected to win?The Explainer Labour is braced for heavy losses and U-turn on postponing some council elections hasn’t helped the party’s prospects
-
6 of the world’s most accessible destinationsThe Week Recommends Experience all of Berlin, Singapore and Sydney
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
