Human remains found in the stomach of a giant crocodile thought to have eaten a Scottish-born holiday maker in north-eastern Australia two weeks ago are being tested for the Vietnam War veteran’s DNA.

Police found the male human remains inside a 14ft (4.3m) crocodile which was caught in the Endeavour River, north of Cairns in Queensland, where Arthur Booker went missing after checking on crab pots during a camping trip with his wife.

Authorities conducted an endoscopy and an X-ray of the crocodile - one of three they captured while searching for Mr Booker - and found human remains and a circular object, which is reportedly a wedding ring.

A Queensland Police spokesman told Times Online the remains have been sent to a forensic scientist in Brisbane to match it with samples of Mr Booker’s DNA which have been provided by his family.

“We don’t know how long it will take, the scientist wouldn’t give us a time frame because you can’t judge how long these things take,” the spokesman said.

"It’s not like we’ve swabbed the DNA out of someone’s mouth, we have taken it out of the stomach of a crocodile, so it’s an unusual situation.”

The crocodile, which could be up to 50 years old, is classified as ‘iconic’ by local authorities because of its age and size, and therefore cannot be harmed or killed.

It is currently being cared for by members of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in Cairns in far north Queensland, and once the police investigation is over, it will be moved to a crocodile farm.

However, because it is believed to have killed a human its whereabouts will be kept secret. It won't be displayed in public, or shown for tourism.

“It will not be released back into the wild,” a spokeswoman for the EPA said.

“Under Queensland’s crocodile Conservation Plan, any animal which has attacked a person in the wild cannot be displayed (including signage) indicating that it has attacked someone.”

The two other crocodiles caught during the search measured 11.5ft (3.5m) and 8.5ft (2.6m), and were also examined. The 11.5ft crocodile is expected to be released back into the wild in the Endeavour River, while no decision on the fate of the smaller crocodile has been made.

If the human remains are confirmed to be Mr Booker’s, his death will be the first fatal crocodile attack in Australia since 2006. Between 1985 and 2007, there were 17 attacks by crocodiles in Australia, five of which were fatal.

Mr Booker’s disappearance has sent Australia – or at least those who live in the top end - into somewhat of a ‘croc crazy’ frenzy, with a number of sightings of large crocodiles lurking near popular beaches and a bizarre incident of one snapping at workmen.

The EPA is currently monitoring another 11.5ft (3.5m) crocodile which has moved from mainland Australia to Magnetic Island, 5 miles (8km) off the coast of Townsville, over the past fortnight.

The crocodile, which was first spotted near a local swimming area, has been fitted with a satellite transmitter which was glued to its neck by EPA crocodile experts. The transmitter is covered in synthetic waterproof material, with two aerials sticking up, and is being monitored by EPA authorities by boat and by using radio tracking.

The crocodile’s locations are transmitted to a satellite one day in every five, and the battery should last about 12 months, according to the EPA.

“We will continue our monitoring, check the next satellite data, and if this croc is still in the Cockle Bay [on Magnetic Island] area, put a team together and remove it as a problem crocodile,” said EPA Team Leader and crocodile expert Scott Sullivan.

Meanwhile police are investigating the shooting and beheading of a 14.4ft (4.4m) male crocodile in the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland's northwest three weeks ago.

The investigation comes as the crocodile’s larger rival male, believed to measure 19ft (5.8m), has become highly aggressive and has been terrorising workmen building a bridge over the Albert River near Burketown.

"He is a monster and he is very upset," Carpentaria Land Council ranger co-ordinator Kevin Anderson told The Courier Mail.

“He has been hanging around the bridge and snapping and lunging at anything in the water. Those workers need eyes in their backsides."

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