Men sentenced to hard labour for beating pregnant crocodile

Published on Thursday 26 November 2009 11:41

TWO men who severely beating a pregnant crocodile at an Indian Islamic shrine have been jailed.

Judge Abdus Salam Khan convicted the men of torturing the crocodile at the sacred site in Bangladesh and sentenced them to two years in jail with hard labour.

The crocodile, named Pipil, was seriously injured and lost one eye after the men beat her with bamboo sticks at Khan Jahan Ali shrine in April this year, the prosecution said.

The shrine is in Bagerhat district, 135 kilometres (85 miles) south-west of the capital, Dhaka.

The men pleaded innocent.

The shrine has about two dozen crocodiles living in a big pond where pilgrims can feed and watch them.

The men were among a group of people who collect money from visitors by exhibiting the crocodiles. The group is known to beat the crocodiles if they do not respond to their calls.

Crocodiles are protected under Bangladesh law, and offenders face up to five years in jail for torturing or killing them.