14ft 'demon croc' captured and beheaded by local villagers in Indonesia

A half-tonne crocodile measuring 14 feet long fell on the hands of superstitious villagers in Indonesia last week. After causing much fear from terrifying attacks on several locals, villagers decided to take matters into their own hands and hunt down the reptile.

Village locals prepared nets that were laced with razor sharp blades and were able to trap the "demon croc" in the Kayubesi River on Monday evening. The giant reptile was in captivity for two days and eventually died from exhaustion after it struggled to free itself from the nets.

Local conservationists made efforts to negotiate with the local village leaders to hand over the beast so they can relocate it to a safer place. However, superstitious locals refused to do this as they strongly believed this would doom the neighbourhood if the giant croc was kept alive and transferred elsewhere.

They beheaded the humongous reptile and buried its body and head separately to ensure it would not return to haunt them. The locals said the crocodile was an evil spirit and insisted they keep the old guy's carcass for religious reasons. It's 500kg body was so heavy that they used a bulldozer to transport it from the river to a field to be buried.

After inspection of the reptile, it was found to be 50 years old and had no teeth.

The locals sawed off the croc's head as a village official named Junaidi explained :

"'The body and head must be buried separately because this is a demon crocodile. Before cutting it off, there is also a special ritual"

The demon crocodile was laid to rest but only after the villagers performed and participated in the said ritual.

The head of Bangka Belitung Natural Resources Conservation Agency, Septian Garo said, "There was a belief that the crocodile should not be removed from the village because it is a demon."

He further explained that local tradition demands the evil croc has to remain in its original environment and that they had no choice but to give in to appease the locals' fears and respect their religious beliefs.

In a report from The Jakarta Post, Garo had also issued a strong call to the public encouraging them to protect crocodiles and let them live in their natural habitat. If a reptile becomes a threat to a community, it is best to contact the authorities to help relocate the animal to a safer distance and area.

A similar incident in 2016 also had village residents refusing the agency's intentions and efforts to rescue a menacing crocodile that had been attacking villagers.