A Kakadu garden ornament with attitude

The two young men told the Northern Territory police they took this 3.2m crocodile home to protect swimmers at the popular waterhole. Photo / Supplied

The two young men told the Northern Territory police they took this 3.2m crocodile home because they wanted to protect swimmers at the popular waterhole.

Two men who found a large saltwater crocodile at a popular swimming hole in Arnhem Land packed into the back of their car and took it home because they wanted to protect swimmers, Northern Territory police say.

The 3.2m crocodile was seen in the front yard of a home at Gunbalanya, on the eastern boundary of Kakadu National Park.

The men, in their early 20s, found the crocodile at the waterhole, about 10km from their remote Aboriginal community, on Wednesday night.

Constable David Melhuish told the NT News the pair took the crocodile to their uncle's house.

"A lot of young people go swimming there and families too ... but it was too late to call anyone so they packed the croc in the back of a Toyota troop carrier," he said.

The dangerous reptile was tied to the front fence, with its jaws bound.

Police removed the animal and released it into the East Alligator River.

The discovery, with the removal of two large saltwater crocodiles from a boat ramp near the Queensland border this week, has prompted police and government agencies to issue warning reminders to the public.

Parks and Wildlife Service acting chief district ranger Lincoln Wilson said 10 crocodiles had been caught in the Borroloola area this year.

"It's a timely reminder that crocodiles do move around," he said. "Estuarine crocodiles can be found in freshwater systems, billabongs and low-lying areas subject to flooding as well as estuarine habitats."

- AAP