Mexico police officer faces charges for killing protected crocodile

Crocodile smile Image by DeusXFlorida / CC BY 2.0

A police officer in Mexico is being prosecuted over killing a crocodile with bursts from his assault rifle in the northern state of Sinaloa.

The case is based on a video clip posted on YouTube that shows a blue-uniformed man standing beside a water-treatment pond in the city of Ahome, waiting for the crocodile to appear.

Once it has been baited in, the man opens up with automatic weapons fire and people can be heard cheering in a crowd watching. There are federal charges because crocodiles are a protected species in Mexico.

(Press Association)