<p class="title">An elusive monster saltwater crocodile weighing 600 kilograms (1,328 pounds) has finally been caught after an eight-year hunt in Australia, officials said on Tuesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 4.7-metre (15.4-foot) beast was found in a trap downstream from the northern outback town of Katherine after first being spotted in 2010.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Authorities had tried in vain for years to bag the croc, which is estimated to be 60 years old.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We've called it a lot of things over the years because it's been so hard to catch," senior wildlife officer John Burke told broadcaster ABC.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It is a bit of a thrill, but you've also got to admire the size of the animal and how old it is. You've got to have a bit of respect for it."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The animal was taken to a crocodile farm to keep it separate from the local human population, said Northern Territory wildlife operations chief Tracey Duldig.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"He is the biggest crocodile ever removed from the Katherine River by the Wildlife Operations Unit," Duldig said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wildlife rangers capture around 250 "problem crocodiles" each year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Saltwater crocodiles are a common feature of Australia's tropical north and kill an average of two people a year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The crocodile population has exploded since they were declared a protected species in the 1970s, with the killing of an elderly woman last year reigniting calls to curb their numbers.</p>
<p class="title">An elusive monster saltwater crocodile weighing 600 kilograms (1,328 pounds) has finally been caught after an eight-year hunt in Australia, officials said on Tuesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 4.7-metre (15.4-foot) beast was found in a trap downstream from the northern outback town of Katherine after first being spotted in 2010.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Authorities had tried in vain for years to bag the croc, which is estimated to be 60 years old.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We've called it a lot of things over the years because it's been so hard to catch," senior wildlife officer John Burke told broadcaster ABC.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It is a bit of a thrill, but you've also got to admire the size of the animal and how old it is. You've got to have a bit of respect for it."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The animal was taken to a crocodile farm to keep it separate from the local human population, said Northern Territory wildlife operations chief Tracey Duldig.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"He is the biggest crocodile ever removed from the Katherine River by the Wildlife Operations Unit," Duldig said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wildlife rangers capture around 250 "problem crocodiles" each year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Saltwater crocodiles are a common feature of Australia's tropical north and kill an average of two people a year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The crocodile population has exploded since they were declared a protected species in the 1970s, with the killing of an elderly woman last year reigniting calls to curb their numbers.</p>