CANBERRA, Oct 14: Police in Australia’s far north have conducted DNA tests to identify human remains found in the stomach of a 4.3 metre crocodile, Australian media reported on Tuesday.

Wildlife officers said the crocodile, captured near the tropical town of Cooktown in northern Queensland state, would not be put down despite the gruesome find.

“As it is an iconic animal, the crocodile will not be harmed or killed. It will not be released back into the wild,” a spokeswoman for Queensland’s Environment Protection Agency told Australian Associated Press.

Wildlife officers used x-rays and an endoscope to examine the contents of the crocodile’s stomach to find and take samples of the remains.

The crocodile was one of three captured during a search for a 62-year-old man who disappeared two weeks ago when he went to check crab traps on the Endeavour River.

The area is the natural habitat for salt water crocodiles, which are opportunistic, territorial hunters. —Reuters