Remote Australian community unites to kill crocodile and prepare a grand meal out of it

A saltwater crocodile is no longer threatening a remote Aboriginal community in Australia after it was killed and made into a feast for residents.

An Aboriginal community in Australia turned a threat into a communal meal. They eliminated a saltwater crocodile that had been posing a danger and prepared it for a traditional feast.

The 12-foot-long crocodile had been stalking and lunging at children and adults since it moved into the Baines River after floods this year, Northern Territory Police said in a statement on Wednesday (June 14).

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The crocodile had also reportedly killed multiple pet dogs as the river is within about 820 feet of residences.

“Community leaders, traditional landowners of Bulla, and wildlife officers worked together to safely remove the crocodile on Tuesday. This action was necessary to keep the community safe from the threat it posed," said police.

The crocodile was later taken to Bulla, “where the community prepared it for a feast in the traditional manner.”

Sgt. Andrew McBride told the Australian public broadcaster ABC that the crocodile was cooked up in multiple ways. "A crocodile tail soup was prepared, he was on the barbecue, few of the pieces were wrapped up in banana leaves and cooked underground.”

“It was a large traditional feast, and there were a few full bellies,” McBride said.

Notably, the crocodiles had been showing up where they’ve never been seen before after severe flooding in the area early this year.

Reigning supreme as the world's largest reptiles, saltwater crocodiles thrive in the Northern Territory.

Protected from large-scale hunting since 1971, their population in the region is estimated to be a whopping 100,000.

Citing the threat to human safety, officials in the Northern Territory released a 10-year management plan this year that raises the number of crocodiles allowed to be removed annually to 1,200 from 300.

(With inputs from agencies)