The remains of a 59-year-old old man have been recovered from a large crocodile in the Komati River, South Africa. The development comes days after a hotel owner, Gabriel Batista, went missing after being swept away by strong floodwaters in the crocodile-infested river.
15-foot-long crocodile with body of businessman inside airlifted in South Africa. (X@CollinRugg)
Soon after Batista disappeared, officials feared he may have been attacked by one of the reptiles in the area. Search teams tracked activity along the river and eventually identified a crocodile. It appeared unusually bloated and remained still near the riverbank, even as drones and a helicopter operated nearby. This behaviour raised suspicion among the team that the animal may have recently fed, New York Post reported.
15 feet long crocodile
After getting the required permission, authorities decided to kill the crocodile to check for any human remains. What followed was a carefully planned operation involving air support.
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A police officer was lowered from a helicopter onto the crocodile to secure it with a harness so it could be lifted from the river.
The reptile, estimated to be around 15 feet long and weighing over 1,000 pounds, was then airlifted to another location for further examination.
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Describing the moment, Capt. Johan Potgieter told NY Post, “There were so many things that could go wrong, and the rope basically lowered me onto the snout of the crocodile, so I was kind of hoping it really was properly dead.”
He added, “There were two crocs nearby watching as I slipped the harness around the waist of the dead crocodile and secured it under the front legs and tightened the strap.”
During dissection, officials found human body parts inside the crocodile, including two severed arms, part of a rib cage, and pieces of flesh. A ring recovered from one of the fingers is believed to belong to Batista. However, forensic tests are still underway to confirm the identity.
Investigators also found at least six pairs of shoes inside the crocodile. None of these have been linked to the missing man so far.