A saltwater crocodile terrorized a remote Australian community by snapping up dogs and lunging at kids -- only to meet its end in a feast cooked up by locals. The 12-foot reptile "had been stalking and lunging out of the water at children and adults," Northern Territory police said in a statement.

"The crocodile had also reportedly taken multiple community dogs."

After talking to elders and traditional landowners in the Bulla community, police shot and killed the scaly predator on Tuesday, police said.

"The community prepared it for a feast in the traditional manner," they said.

The crocodile had migrated during floods earlier in the year into a river near homes in the area, about six hours' drive south of Darwin, police said.

The animal ended up as the main ingredient in various meals, Sergeant Andrew McBride told Australian public broadcaster ABC.

"I believe he was cooked up into crocodile tail soup, it was on the barbecue, a few pieces were wrapped up in banana leaves and cooked underground," McBride said.

"There was a rather large traditional feast."

Commander Kylie Anderson said "crocodiles can pose a significant risk to community safety" and praised officers and residents for working closely together to resolve the issue.

"There's never a dull moment in remote policing," Anderson said.

The Northern Territory government says it "uses a risk-based strategic management approach to determine the level of management activity" for crocodiles.

 Crocodiles are highly mobile, and have periodically had dangerous encounters with people in Australia. Earlier this year, a crocodile jumped on board a fisherman's boat in Queensland while the man was fishing at a creek on New Year's Eve. 

Last year, the top politician in Australia's Northern Territory said it was "time to consider" a return to crocodile culling after an attack at a popular swimming spot.

In May 2023, a man snorkeling off the coast of North Queensland, Australia, was attacked by a crocodile – and survived by prying its jaws off his head. That same month, the remains of an Australian man who went missing on a fishing trip in crocodile-infested waters were found inside two of the reptiles.

In:
• Australia
• Crocodile