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21-foot monster crocodile caught
Wildlife authorities in the Philippines say they have captured a 21-foot-long, 2,370-pound saltwater crocodile, thought to be the largest creature of its kind now in captivity.
The croc was captured in Agusan del Sur marsh on the southern Philippine island of Mindinao, according to a report on GMA News. Hunters had been trying to capture it for 21 days, the report said. It was finally captured on Saturday by a team of about 30 men who used meat to bait it and an eight millimeter metal cable to snare it, according to an Agence-France Presse report on ABS.CBN News.
Edwin Cox Elorde, mayor of the remote town of Bunawan near where the croc was caught, said the reptile will become the star of a nature park there, according to the AFP report.
The previous largest crocodile in captivity is an 18-footer in Australia, according to Guinness World Records.
Crocodiles are suspected in the deaths of a local fisherman earlier this year and a girl a few years ago, according to the news reports, but authorities could not say whether the monster caught Saturday was responsible.
Cox Elorde told Inquirer news in the Philippines that there could be a thousand more large crocodiles in the marsh, but he denied earlier reports that locals would try to catch another.
He also said the croc captured Saturday has been named Lolong, after local hunter Ernesto “Lolong” Conate, who died of a stroke while helping plan the capture of the reptile.
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Ok Babara Nichols *straigtens bow tie*
Loriey..... Philippines may not be that rich but at least we are humane... what if that crocodile was caught in your country? would you think it will still be alive today? will it still be featured on news and be used as an attraction for the whole world to see? iI guess not.....
They should have sent Dominic Purcell and Orlando Bloom in to catch it, would have been much easier.
More importantly, is this monster croc going to be in 3D???
Yay! In captivity. WHY?!
Yeah it seems like the can just catch it, tag it, release it, and appreciate it in the wild. Not sure what the point of putting it in a zoo is.
@Josh – um, proofread much? Did you really mean "regarded"? Looks like you're the "regard," LOL.
You guys are retardz. I'm all for releasing wild creatures back into the wild up to a reasonable point ... if you're releasing it on an uninhabited island or something that's for from any human villages, then fine. But this was caught in an area with lots of people. Would you advocate releasing a pack of rabid pit bulls in an area where there are people? Or maybe you're saying this because it's in the Philippines and not in, say, Florida. I think it's great that they kept it alive but it definitely needs to be kept in captivity or shot.
That was my first question on reading the piece as well. Kept thinking they'd get to why it was captured, but they never did....
As they said in the video, the croc had been 'terrorizing' villagers and had killed a water buffalo. My guess is they preferred the safety of the villagers over admiring nature. It was good of them not to kill it, I'd guess the only way for the villagers to afford to keep it is to incorporate it into eco tourism.
To Ray in Vegas: Why not captured and relocated? And if there are possibly "a thousand more large crocodiles in the marsh" according to the report, how does putting this one on display in a "nature park" make any difference in safety?
Now that it's captured, I wonder if it will be treated humanely in it's new prison. Asian zoos are notorious for housing their animals in cages that the West has long ago abandoned as being inumane. The Crocodile Hunter used to rescue many of these crocs, put in circular pools that were so filthy and bacteria laden that they qualified more as cesspools than exhibition quarters. No doubt this giant will live out his days in a cage where he can barely turn around, subject to offal thrown at him by ignorant visitors. Not exactly an honorable way to live out what could be an incredibly long life in his new 'display' environment. Yeah, he probably ate people, pets and buffalo, but he's a croc: that's what they do. The blame falls on Man for wandering into his environment. There's just too many of us to live in harmony with nature. I'd rather see this giant dead, than mistreated. Please write another story a few years down the road, so we can see if he's being well taken care of, or not.
Amen, I agree with that, this croc has lived for 50 years, doing what crocs do and now he is doomed to live in a small filthy cage, gawked at by ignorant peasants and probably fed offal and garbage. The Filipinos mostly live in hovels and their "zoo" will be dreadful, you can bet on it. How very sad for an ancient noble creature, to live and die in such terrible conditions.
Jeanne – you said it best!!
CHOOT 'EM!!!!
It was not killed because there's a law against it....
this thing eat horses, humans, 3 ton cows...YOU ANIMAL LOVERS ARE CrAZy! It's an anomaly...it doesn't respect the order of the food chain...I'm with Granny: KEEL LIT!
No, Mmmmm, IT is at the top of the food chain. Have some respect.
wow that thing is huge .
haha barbara
Um, why not catch and release...?
Because it just might eat people...
sweet
Is it just me, or does this critter invoke memories of that gawd awful Godzilla remake? I think I am going to go listen to Blue Oyster Cult now....
Wow! That monster could swallow people whole!