A 44-year-old scientist has been eaten alive by a crocodile, named Merry, while she was feeding the 17ft-long predator at a research facility in North Sulawesi in Indonesia where she worked.
The Indonesian scientist, Deasy Tuwo, is believed to have been dragged into the enclosure when she was throwing meat into the pool during feeding time on Friday morning.
According to reports, Merry was found with the scientist’s savaged body still in its jaws.
Officials believe the crocodile stood on its hind legs and jumped up the 8ft wall to drag her into the pool.
Horrified staff at the facility, named CV Yosiki Laboratory, made the grim discovery later that morning when they noticed a ‘strange shape’ in the water.
The reptile, who is fed fresh chicken, tuna and meat every day, has been known to attack other crocodiles in the past, but no fears had been raised it may attack humans.
Rescue workers battled to retrieve Ms Tuwo’s body from the crocodile, which thrashed violently every time they tried to fish the corpse from the water.
Merry was captured today in the city of Tomohon and was pictured strapped to a flat-bed truck to be taken for medical tests to confirm that he had eaten the body parts.
Friends describe Ms Tuwo, the lead scientist at the laboratory, as a ‘quiet person’ who loved animals.
Ms Tuwo’s colleague Erling Rumengan described the horrific moment they discovered her body.
He said:
‘We were curious when we looked at the crocodile pool, there was a floating object, it was Deasy’s body.
‘We were afraid to touch it and we immediately report the incident at the Tombariri police station.
‘It’s possible the crocodile jumped from the side. Maybe it’s because the crocodile was still full, it didn’t finish eating her body.’
Merry the crocodile will be evacuated to a wildlife rescue centre in Bitung district where tests will be carried out on its stomach.
Police said they were trying to trace the owner of the crocodile after the incident.
He is believed to be a Japanese businessman – the same man who opened the research facility.
Police said he was not at the centre at the time of the incident and had not been seen or heard from since the news of it broke.
Raswin Sirait, Tomohon Police Chief, said:
“We are still looking for the owner of the crocodile, besides that, we have coordinated with the authorities in the area.
“I believe the owner must acknowledge this horrible incident.
“We also need to know if he is legally permitted to own crocodiles and other expensive aquatics in his company.
“If there is no permit, he will be detained.”
