Crocodile ate a 9 year old boy in China

In April 2007, Police marksmen in south China were called in to shoot a crocodile that had eaten a nine-year-old boy as his friends looked on in terror.

The attack occurred in Yinhai District in Beihai, a city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Liu, the victim was a second grade student. He and three friends climbed over the school's gate and the fence of a pool in a nearby park that once staged crocodile shows.

The children shot the crocodile with their slingshots and poked them with wooden sticks.

Pang, one of the children, told later that they were looking for crocodile eggs in the park when one of the animals bit Liu and dragged him into the water.

Pang said he tried to rescue Liu when the crocodile closed its jaws on the boy, but he fled when other crocodiles appeared ready to attack.

"Such a big one," Pang said with tears.

About 10 crocodiles surrounded Liu, the boy said.

When police arrived at the scene, they couldn't find Liu's body. Officers sealed off the park as night fell.

Local public security authorities received permission from forestry officials to kill the animal to recover evidence.

Next morning authorities used pumps to remove water from the pool. They also borrowed two snipers from the local armed police troop.

Pork was used to lure the crocodiles and the snipers shot one whose stomach was enlarged.

Forensic medical experts later performed an autopsy on the crocodile, which was two meters long and weighed about 150 kilograms. Liu's remains were found inside.

There were 11 crocodiles in the pool at the time. They were originally kept for public shows, but the park operator later went into debt and auctioned off most of the animals.

The owner then hired a custodian to keep watch over the reptiles, but local residents said he was rarely seen.