A fisherman in Uganda has hunted down and killed a large crocodile after it ate his wife who was collecting firewood close to the edge of Lake Kyoga in the eastern part of the country.

Mubalak Batambuze, 56, was so distraught following the loss of his wife, Demeteriya Nabwire, over the weekend that he armed himself with a spear and hunted down the beast before slaying it. Nabwire was eight months pregnant at the time she was killed by the animal, reports have confirmed. The shoes she was wearing, plus several toes and fingers, were found at the lakeside spot by locals.

Batambuze has been hailed a hero for killing the crocodile, which is believed to have been responsible for the deaths of six other people, as well as a number of severe injuries inflicted on five others in recent months. It measured in at 7.5 metres long and weighed 157 stone, the Uganda Wildlife Authority said.

Peter Ogwang, a spokesman for Uganda’s Wildlife Authority (UWA), said: “We believe this was the same animal that killed the woman.”

According to the UWA, around 30 Ugandans are killed by crocodiles each year.