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Indonesian woman, 44, mauled to death by 4.4m-long pet crocodile after falling into its enclosure

A woman has been mauled to death by a giant crocodile after she fell into its enclosure while feeding it.

Deasy Tuwo, 44, was head of the laboratory at the pearl farm in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where the animal, named Merry, was being kept illegally as a pet.

The crocodile, that weighs 700kg, is believed to have bitten off Ms Tuwo’s arm and most of her abdomen after she fell.

<em>The crocodile, named Merry, killed the head of the pearl farm lab after she fell into its enclosure (AFP)</em>
The crocodile, named Merry, killed the head of the pearl farm lab after she fell into its enclosure (AFP)

Her body was not found by colleagues until the next morning.

Hendriks Rundengan, from the North Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) said that officials had tried to visit the facility on several occasions to remove the 4.4m-long crocodile but had not been allowed in.

He told BBC Indonesia: ‘We’ve come here a few times but the fences are always locked.’

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Authorities believe Ms Tuwo’s body parts may still be inside Merry’s body.

A Japanese national who owns both the farm and the crocodile is now being sought by authorities.

The crocodile has been relocated to a conservation site while the search goes on.