HUMPTY DOO, AUSTRALIA — On August 21, four robbers decided to dump three salties into an office building at Taminmin College, a secondary school in Australia’s Northern Territory, before ransacking the joint.

The crocs were small females, the biggest measuring out to roughly two meters. Their mouths were taped shut, and officials say they were left badly malnourished when found later by police. The motive for the robbery remains unclear, as well as the strategy to dump the crocodiles in first, before the thieves decided to tear the place apart and steal a computer.

Saltwater crocodiles are a protected species. It’s a criminal offence to meddle with them, and doing so could land offenders in jail for a term of five years.