The crocodile that attacked and killed 15-year-old Elen Mashora at Thikanduko village last Tuesday has been put down in efforts to stop possible repeat attacks.

According to the Chief Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Romeo Muyunda on Sunday, the animal was killed by officials of the ministry on Saturday, as per the ministry’s policy that ‘an animal that kills humans should be put down.’

‘The rationale behind this is that the animal could become a repeat offender thinking that humans are food and could kill again,’ he said.

Mashora, a learner at Thikanduko Primary School in the Kavango East Region’s Mukwe Constituency, was attacked and killed by the crocodile when she had reportedly gone to the river with other learners from the school to get water to drink.

This follows another incident where five-year-old Juliana Urungi was also killed by a crocodile at Katere village.

The girl’s mother had gone to the river to fetch water for cooking, only to notice that her daughter had followed her there.

The crocodile attacked her daughter before she could reach her.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency