Rotting Crocodile Heads Found In Freezer

Police are investigating after teenagers found dozens of rotting crocodile heads in an abandoned freezer in Australia.

Police called to the scene said they found between 50 and 70 small saltwater crocodile heads, along with a full 80cm carcass and several hatchlings.

Northern Territory Police believe the heads - found in Humpty Doo, 40km from Darwin - came from the home of someone with a permit to keep crocodiles, ABC News reported.

Senior wildlife ranger Tommy Nichols, who specialises in crocodile management, told 105.7 ABC Darwin : "(We saw) a deep freezer in a sad state of affairs.

"There was quite a bad smell and maggots around everywhere."

He added: "It's not so rare. A lot of people keep some strange things in freezers."

Mr Nichols said he had previously found snakes, cane toads and a puppy in storage boxes or freezers.

It is legal to keep crocodiles as pets in the Northern Territory and the reptiles are often kept in pens or backyard ponds.

The region has a crocodile skin market worth around £9m while heads - after removal by the crocodile farming industry - often end up being sold in wildlife parks.