A “problem” crocodile that was stalking both adults and children has been shot and cooked for a local Aboriginal community, police in Australia have said.

The 3.63m-long reptile “moved into” the River Baines in the Northern Territory town of Bulla following flooding earlier in the year, emergency services said.

Since then it had been “stalking and lunging out of the water at children and adults”, they added.

It had also “taken multiple community dogs”, police said.

Following discussions with local residents, the crocodile was shot to ensure it “did not continue to pose a significant risk to the community”.

The “large saltie” was then taken into Bulla where the “community prepared it for a feast in the traditional manner”, police said.

It was “on the barbecue” and “cooked up into crocodile tail soup”, remote sergeant Andrew McBride told ABC News.

In addition, a few pieces were “wrapped in banana leaves and cooked underground”.

Sergeant McBride added: “It was a rather large traditional feast and there were a few full bellies.”

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Crocodiles have been “popping up where they’ve never been seen before”, Mr McBride said.

The development follows widespread flooding in western areas of the territory earlier this year.

“The amount of water’s just pushed them into random places,” Mr McBride said.

“This is obviously one of those crocodiles that’s gone for a bit of a swim and a walk and popped up very close to residents.”

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“Crocodiles can pose a significant risk to community safety,” said Commander Kylie Anderson.

“Thanks to the seamless collaboration between Parks and Wildlife, our remote police staff and local residents, we were able to safely remove the large saltie and maintain the safety of the community.

“There’s never a dull moment in remote policing.”

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