Philippine town mourns largest captive crocodile

‘Lolong’. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The world’s largest saltwater crocodile in captivity has died, sending villagers to tears in the backwater southern Philippine town that had started to draw tourists, revenue and development because of the immense reptile.

The crocodile had been blamed for deadly attacks on people before it was captured in 2011 and sent to live at an eco-tourism park that was built to house the giant. The reptile quickly became a star attraction of marshy Bunawan, a far-flung town of 37,000 people in Agusan del Sur province about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila.

The 1-ton crocodile flipped over with a bloated stomach Sunday and the veterinarian declared it dead a few hours later, Bunawan town Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said. It had been estimated at more than 50 years old, Elorde said. Authorities will try to determine the cause of death.

Guinness World Records had proclaimed it the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity last year, measuring the giant at 20.24 feet (6.17 meters). The reptile took the top spot from an Australian crocodile that measured more than 17 feet (5 meters) and weighed nearly a ton.

Veterinarian Alex Collantes said he and park personnel tried to revive the crocodile by immersing it in lukewarm water, adding that unusually cold weather this month may have affected the crocodile. Its death sent its caretaker and some villagers that gathered at the park to tears, he said.

“I’m really depressed,” Elorde said by telephone from Bunawan. “I’ve come to love that crocodile. It had brought fame to our town and the Philippines.”

The crocodile’s capture in September 2011 sparked celebrations in Bunawan, but it also fostered concerns that more giant crocodiles might lurk in a marshland and creek where villagers fish.

The crocodile was captured with steel cable traps during a three-week hunt after a child was killed in 2009 and a fisherman went missing. Water buffalos have also been attacked by crocodiles in the area.

About 100 people led by Elorde pulled the crocodile from a creek using a rope and then hoisted it by crane onto a truck. It was named “Lolong” after a government environmental officer who died from a heart attack after traveling to Bunawan to help capture the beast, Elorde said.

Bunawan town officials built an eco-tourism park to house the crocodile, which had started to draw local and foreign tourists and bring revenue to the laid-back community.

Philippine officials were planning to start constructing a 1.9-kilometer (1.18-mile) road to the park to accommodate the growing number of tourists, but it is unclear if the plan will now push through, Elorde said.

He said he planned to have the crocodile preserved so Bunawan villagers can still marvel at it.

“I’d like them to see the crocodile that broke a world record and put our town on the map,” Elorde said.