Australia: Human remains found in croc after fatal attack

Police in the far northeastern Australian town of Cooktown said on Tuesday that an examination of a euthanized crocodile suspected of killing a 40-year-old man on Saturday has revealed human remains inside the animal.

The 4.9-meter (16-foot) crocodile was captured and killed by wildlife rangers on Monday in a creek 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from where the man, a doctor from the eastern state of New South Wales, disappeared.

The animal had scars on its snout like the ones described by witnesses on a crocodile in the vicinity of the disappearance, officials said.

Further testing would be conducted to positively identify the remains, which are thought to be those of the doctor from Newcastle.

Walking accident

The man was on a camping vacation in Queensland with his wife, and three sons aged 2, 5 and 7 when he fell from a steep bank into the Annan River south of Cooktown after the path he was on gave way, according to a family statement.

"Despite being tall, strong and fit, the conditions of the terrain meant [he] was unable to get himself out of the water," the statement said.

The man's wife went to his aid, but "due to the steepness and slipperiness of the bank, she was able to grab his arm, but soon began slipping into the river herself," the statement went on.

His "final, decisive act was to let go of [his wife's] arm when he realized she was falling in, despite knowing she was his only lifeline. Within moments, he was taken," the statement added.

The location where he fell is known as Crocodile Bend, a site popular among tourists who come to see large crocodiles.

Other attacks

The latest attack comes just weeks after a 12-year-old girl was snatched on July 2 while swimming with her family in a creek in the neighboring Northern Territory.  

In an earlier incident, a 16-year-old boy was killed while swimming off a Queensland island on April 18.

The three attacks this year bring Australia close to the worst annual death toll on record of four in 2014.  

Crocodiles became a protected species in Australia in the early 1970s after hunting almost caused their extinction in the tropic north of the country.

As a result, their numbers have grown rapidly in the past few decades.

The saltwater crocodile, which despite its common name also inhabits freshwater rivers, is the largest living reptile, and preys on a wide range of animals, including humans.

The much smaller freshwater crocodile also found in Australia's north will attack humans only in self-defense, and there have so far been no reported deaths.

 tj/wmr (AP, dpa)