DNA tests confirm crocodile ate Arthur Booker - Times Online

The human remains found inside a 14ft crocodile in Queensland have been confirmed as that of missing British Vietnam War veteran Arthur Booker.
Mr Booker, who was born in Banffshire, Scotland and immigrated to Australia in 1959, went missing while on a camping trip with his wife Doris at the Endeavour River in Cooktown, north Queensland on September 30.
The 62-year-old disappeared when he returned to the river – home to dozens of large crocodiles - to collect his crab pots. A three-day search uncovered only his wristwatch and one of his sandals.
Rangers later caught three large crocodiles in the river, and conducted x-rays and an endoscopy on one, a 14ft (4.5m) bull croc. Human remains and a wedding ring were found inside the reptile.
Police have confirmed that DNA tests proved the remains were Mr Booker’s and the investigation into his death has now been referred to the coroner.
Mr Booker was remembered by his family and friends, including veterans who served with him during the Vietnam War, at a service Carbrook, south of Brisbane, last month.
The crocodile which took Mr Booker, was classified as ‘iconic’ by local authorities because of its age and size, and therefore cannot be harmed or killed.
It is currently being looked after by members of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in at a secure facility in Townsville, north Queensland.
It will not be released to the wild, but is expected to be offered to a crocodile farm or zoo on the strict condition that it must never go on public display.
It was claimed last week that the EPA’s crocodile relocation scheme – where rangers catch problem crocodiles and move them to a different location, usually out of harm’s way for humans - led to Mr Booker’s death and that of Barry Jeffries three years ago.
Mr Jeffries was killed by a crocodile in the Lakefield National Park in 2005. An informant claimed the suspected crocodile which killed him had been caught and relocated by the EPA.
The EPA has denied the claims that their wildlife program is at fault for the deaths of the two men, and the case has been referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission. The Agency has also been ordered to review all aspects of crocodile relocation.
Mr Booker’s death is the first fatal crocodile attack in Australia since 2006, when an eight-year-old girl was taken in the Blythe River, in the Northern Territory.
Between 1985 and 2007, there were 17 attacks by crocodiles in Australia, five of which were fatal.