Australian Missing Fisherman’s body found in Crocodile
Kevin Darmody, 65, was last seen at Kennedy's Bend - a well-known saltwater crocodile habitat in a remote part of northern Queensland - on Saturday.
After a two-day search of the area, police euthanised two large crocodiles and found human body parts.
Police said it was a "tragic ending" for Mr Darmody. A formal identification process will be carried out.
Mr Darmody was an experienced fisherman and a well-known community member in Cape York.
The two crocodiles, which measured 4.1m (13.4 ft) and 2.8m in length, were shot dead on Monday about 1.5 km (0.9 miles) from where he was last seen.
Human remains were found inside only one of the reptiles, but wildlife officers believe both were involved in the incident.
Since a ban on hunting in 1974, Queensland's crocodile population has rebounded from a low of some 5,000 animals to around 30,000 today.
A 2019 report suggested an average of 1.7 adult crocs in each kilometre of the river surveyed.
Under Queensland's management programme, "problem crocodiles" are removed from areas where they threaten public safety and, in rare instances, euthanised.
Those numbers are dwarfed by Australia's Northern Territory (NT), which is home to the world's largest wild crocodile population of some 100,000 reptiles.
Despite publicity campaigns to be "crocwise" around rivers, there was an average of 1-2 deaths from crocodile attacks in the Territory each year from 2005, but none have occurred since 2018.
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