Police said they arrived at the scene to find zoo keepers and staff desperately trying to ward off dozens of reptiles which were feasting on her body (file picture not related to Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm & Zoo.
BANGKOK – An elderly woman committed suicide by jumping into a pond full of crocodiles, it has been reported. Wanpen Inyai, 65, was torn apart after apparently throwing herself into a pit with more than 1,000 crocodiles at a zoo in Bangkok, Thailand.
A disturbing picture was posted online reportedly showing a crocodile approaching her moments before she was attacked.
As reports of the death spread online, many netizens asked whether reports of the tragedy at the famous reptile farm were true.
Police said they arrived at the scene to find zoo keepers and staff desperately trying to ward off dozens of reptiles which were feasting on her body.
Witnesses saw Wanpen Inyai jumping into a pond at Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo on Friday, reported The Bangkok Post. Staff failed to rescue her.
According to reports, she took off her shoes before jumping into the middle of a pond said to be up to 3m deep that contained hundreds of adult crocodiles.
Staff tried to use long sticks to stop the crocodiles from attacking her, according to the Bangkok Post.
Earlier that day, Ms Wanpen’s family had tried to file a missing persons report after they discovered her disappearance, but they were reportedly told to wait for 24 hours.
Her death mirrored that of a woman who killed herself in 2002 the same way at the same farm, and another suicide reportedly took place a decade before that.
Farm owner Uthen Youngprapakorn said staff had already installed extra fences and security measures along the walkway which the woman jumped from.
He described her death as a ‘force majeure’ and expressed condolences to her family.
Founded in 1950, Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm & Zoo describes itself as the world’s largest crocodile farm