15-foot crocodile captured

BERRY SPRINGS, Australia, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A more than 15-foot crocodile captured near a popular beach in Australia's Northwest Territory was the area's largest catch in four years, authorities said.

Parks and Wildlife officials said five rangers pulled the croc out of a trap in Berry Springs, less than a mile from the beach, The Australian reported Friday. It measured 15 feet, 5 inches long.

"This is the largest crocodile we've removed from the area in the last four years," Parks and Wildlife senior ranger Tom Nichols said. "It is also the largest crocodile we've removed from any of our traps in 2009."

Charlie Manolis, chief scientist at Crocodylus Park in Darwin, said the crocodile, believed to be in its 50s, would be transported to a farm and put into "forced monogamy for captive breeding."