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.
Killing the croc is the best thing, do u expect people to spear it and allow it to keep killing people?
See how an untamed reptile is taking all our time nd comments wen they are other important world issues that needs our critical comments and analysis...funny though.
i bliev d croc worth somethine else,how can a croc b up to 21ft,they shld examine it well and no if its real coz we are in d world of technology nothing is impossible
Why don't you go and see for yourself? Open up the reptile's mouth wide and look down the body cavity for any electronics blinking and wires sticking out... =)
Thats Cute croc...
but people should leave it in the water, it helps to balance eco system
I am sure you will feel safe with this croc living in the river next to your house, where your children play everyday
So such creatures exists?
nice meat...croc stew yummy..
Too bad the Philippines cannot catch most of its crocodiles who stand just between 5 to 6 feet tall, a lot of them sit in the Philippine congress, in provincial capitols, in city and town halls. =)
Leave the croca alone & stay off waters! Jah made land for you so if the croc attacks you, we all know you were in the wrong territory and besides, who got there first?
Easy to say sitting comfy in your first world ease.
There is no plan of killing that croc! it was brought to a sanctuary of wild animals wherein he could live peacefully without harming anyone and as it was shown its being well taken care of! Crocs dont only attack in the waters but also in land, which makes it very much dangerous to the community near the marsh where it was capture. Its not a question of who come first or who lives there first...it is about the safety of the majority. Philippines is a 3rd world country but we understand how to take care of the wild. And hey we settle for synthetic leather than shoes and bag mad of crocs skin! We dont contribute to the overwhelming demand of this expensive things and besides we can afford it hahaha..
..but really guys seriously.. we dont wanna harm this beautiful animal..
I just want to say u guys keep anywhere you want, just don't kill, because this animal is nice. My favorite animal I request don't kill.
Don't kill this animal.
who says that the huge croc is gonna get butchered? the most important fact is that the huge croc is captured and is in the good hands and won't bother the local people anymore.
Wow! This is amazing, seeing a 21 foot crocodile and I thought this was just in the movies. I think it's neat they are going to keep it in a nature park. Who knows, how big the crocodiles can get. It's like Sci-fi movies.
We in the Philippines has another breed of crocodile, someone that walks on two feet. There are many of them in our Congress hall,
What a HUGE crocodile! Would you like to discuss it more? Chat with others about it here
http://boyerboat.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=7
OMG I want to see this thing live in person!