This is the terrifying moment a 16ft-long crocodile chases villagers after they caught in a paddy field.
The ferocious reptile was carried by strong currents onto farmland after a river flooded on Tuesday morning.
Villagers found the creature splashing around and began poking it with long bamboo sticks.
But the beast leapt from the muddy water and sparked screams of panic as it began chasing them across the ground in Klirong, Indonesia.
Nobody was injured but the deadly reptile is now on the loose spreading fears that – estranged from its natural environment – it could become hungry and eat the villagers.
Local resident Turyono, who was among the group tormenting the creature, said they had no idea it was so big.
He said: ‘’We all ran away once it got to the ground with its mouth wide open. It came after us fast. It was ferocious.’’
Turyono, a farmer, said that people in the Kedungwinangun village were now ‘’haunted’’ by the thought of the crocodile returning.
Police chief Willy Budiyant said they believed that the crocodile had been carried away from its natural home after heavy rainfall on Monday caused the Lukulo River to flood.
The crocodile, which he estimated to be around five metres, finished up in the paddy field before the waters subsided later on Tuesday morning.
He said: ‘’From the report the crocodile was known first on Tuesday morning. Police visited the location along with BKSDA conservation group to check the truth of the information.
”From the location was found an estuary crocodile stranded in rice fields. Residents are urged not to try to catch the crocodile because they can cause danger.
‘’The crocodile also should not be killed because the classified animals are protected. It must be handled professionally so that it can be returned to the river.’’
