Human remains found in croc

[Moe66]

Human remains found in croc: World: News: News24

Sydney - Australian police say they have found human remains in the stomach of a giant crocodile captured in a remote area where a fisherman went missing late last month.
Arthur Booker, 62, disappeared on September 30 after he went to check crab pots while holidaying with his wife near Cooktown, in the so-called "Cape Crocodile" region of far north Queensland.
Queensland state police said late on Monday that forensic tests had determined material taken from the stomach of a 4.5m crocodile captured in the area where Booker was last seen came from a human male.
They said more detailed DNA analysis was needed to positively identify the remains as those of Booker, reportedly a Scottish-born Vietnam War veteran.
Australian media reported that before the human remains were confirmed, X-rays of the crocodile had revealed a wedding ring in its stomach.
Police said the X-rays showed a circular object in the reptile's gut but could not confirm it was a wedding band.
Booker's wife, who had been waiting for him in their car when he went to check the crab pots, alerted authorities when he failed to return.
She found some of his belongings, including a camera, close to crocodile marks near the water.
The incident has sparked calls among some locals for a cull of saltwater crocodiles, which are a protected species under Australian law.
However, the father of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin earlier this month said there should be no revenge attacks against the giant reptiles.
"We have to remember that the crocodile is a vital part of the eco-system and it was behaving naturally," naturalist Bob Irwin told brisbanetimes.com.au.

[toker]

typical response, man gets attacked, so kill all of the critters. sad.

[TammyJamaica]

Poor Salties - and poor man too, of course......

Here in Jamaica we are having a problem now because of man's encroachment on the crocs' territory. Also, due to Hurricane Gustav and the floods, an access route between a river and a drain has been blocked, preventing the crocs from moving between the drain and their river freely, and so they are now "prowling" in the humans' territory and "terrorizing" the humans. One of them has already been killed by the people, although they are supposed to be protected.
It usually takes for a human to be killed by a croc, before they will clear the drain to relieve the problem for both man and beast.

[mattciupak]

It's really sad how when say a croc kills a human, it's all about the news. But then, when humans kill a croc, who cares, besides us reptile keepers? Noone. Some people may even think the person who killed the croc is a hero..

[Aaron Ward]

Originally Posted by toker

typical response, man gets attacked, so kill all of the critters. sad.

sooo true

[luker3232]

"so what have we learned in todays lesson?"

[jbt123]

Remind me not to tic off a crocodile.

But on a more serious note, that is a very sad story...I wish his family my condolences and I hope that people understand the nature of a crocodile and don't threaten the species because there was one maneater. They already got him. Simple as that.

[Moe66]

Good news... turns out they didn't kill the croc after all... but he's gonna have fun for the rest of his days!!

Man-Eating Crocodile Put Out To Stud: Australian Saltwater Reptile Ate UK Fisherman Arthur Booker | World News | Sky News

Human remains thought to be those of 62-year-old Arthur Booker were discovered in its belly when the 15ft-long beast was captured in north Queensland.
Mr Booker disappeared on September 30 after he went to check crab pots in a river near Cooktown, in the so-called "Cape Crocodile" region of the state.
Mr Booker's wife raised the alarm when he failed to return from the trip.
Police found some of his belongings on the river bank, close to crocodile marks.
The line securing the crab pots was frayed, rather than cut clean with a knife.
An X-ray of the captured animal revealed a wedding ring in its stomach, according to local media.
The news triggered calls for a cull of saltwater crocodiles.
But a spokesman for the state's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that because of the man-eating reptile's size, it was a protected animal that could not be killed.
However, it could not be released either, and under Queensland state law prevented it from being displayed in a zoo or wildlife facility with any sign indicating it had eaten a human being.
That left a breeding programme as the only alternative - so the animal will be put out to stud on a farm for the rest of its life.
"Any crocodile four metres or over is... an iconic crocodile, so it needs to go into a facility where it can be used in a way that benefits crocodile conservation," the EPA spokesman said.