Human remains discovered inside a 4.9-metre saltwater crocodile caught in a far north Queensland town are believed to be those of a missing NSW man, police say.
A search and rescue mission was launched on Saturday afternoon after a man fell from the bank of the Annan River at Cooktown while fishing with his wife and children. The man didn’t resurface and was believed to have been taken by a crocodile.
After an extensive search for the crocodile, which is well known by Cooktown locals, the animal was found in a creek four kilometres upstream of where the man went missing.
The crocodile had distinct markings on its snout consistent with those on the animal involved in the attack.
The crocodile was euthanised and human remains were found inside its stomach. Further testing will be conducted to confirm the identity; however, police believe the remains belong to the missing man.
The area of the Annan River near where the man went missing is known by locals as “crocodile bend”. Several locals told this masthead the section of the river is an almost guaranteed crocodile watching spot.
Riverbend Tours Cooktown operator Nick Davidson runs boat tours of the Endeavour River. He said locals will often throw roadkill and dead fish from the bridge, which gets snapped up by a resident crocodile.
“It’s a truly frightening situation, it’s the stuff of nightmares … it’s definitely rocked the town,” he said.
Davidson said the resident crocodile has been spotted by locals for decades and could be as old as 60.
Senior Sergeant Greg Finucane said on Sunday that a large crocodile had been spotted in the area where the man went missing.
“Condolences go to the family who are obviously very traumatised at the moment,” he said.
A spokesperson from the Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation said Cooktown is known as “Croc Country” and warned visitors to expect crocodiles in all northern and far northern Queensland waterways.
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