She had a pet crocodile named ‘Merry’. It ate her

An Indonesian scientist has been mauled to death by a huge pet crocodile on the island of Sulawesi, officials said Wednesday.

Deasy Tuwo, the head of a laboratory at a pearl farm in Minahasa in North Sulawesi, was killed by the 4.4-metre (14.4 foot) long reptile last Thursday, authorities said.

The 44-year old's badly-mauled body was found by colleagues the following morning, Hendrik Rundengan, from the local conservation agency, told AFP.

"The indication is that she fell into the crocodile's enclosure," he said.

The crocodile, named Merry, had eaten one of the woman's hands and most of her abdomen was missing, Rundengan said. "These parts may still be inside the crocodile now."

The giant reptile was sedated and removed from its enclosure Monday in a three-hour operation that involved dozens of people, including conservation officials, the army and police.

The reptile, which was owned illegally, will be transferred to a conservation area, Rundengan said.

The incident was still being investigated by police.