A crocodile that is believed to have eaten a British holidaymaker is to be put out to stud on a farm for the rest of its life.
Human remains thought to be those of 62-year-old Arthur Booker were discovered in its belly when the 15ft-long beast was captured in north Queensland.
Mr Booker disappeared on September 30 after he went to check crab pots in a river near Cooktown, in the so-called "Cape Crocodile" region of the state.
Mr Booker's wife raised the alarm when he failed to return from the trip.
Police found some of his belongings on the river bank, close to crocodile marks.
The line securing the crab pots was frayed, rather than cut clean with a knife.
An X-ray of the captured animal revealed a wedding ring in its stomach, according to local media.
The news triggered calls for a cull of saltwater crocodiles.
But a spokesman for the state's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that because of the man-eating reptile's size, it was a protected animal that could not be killed.
However, it could not be released either, and under Queensland state law prevented it from being displayed in a zoo or wildlife facility with any sign indicating it had eaten a human being.
That left a breeding programme as the only alternative - so the animal will be put out to stud on a farm for the rest of its life.
"Any crocodile four metres or over is... an iconic crocodile, so it needs to go into a facility where it can be used in a way that benefits crocodile conservation," the EPA spokesman said.
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