World's Largest Crocodile

Philippines: World's Largest Crocodile

Lolong was the largest crocodile in captivity. He was an Indo-Pacific or Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) measured at 20 feet 3 inches (6.17 m), making him one of the largest crocodiles ever measured from snout-to-tail.

In November of 2011, Australian crocodile expert Dr. Adam Britton of National Geographic sedated and measured Lolong in his enclosure and confirmed Lolong as the world's longest crocodile ever caught and placed in captivity^.

Officials of the town of Bunawan  where the crocodile was captured said that experts from the National Geographic Channel found out that Lolong breaks the record of the previous record-holder: a 17 feet 11.75 inches (5.48 m) male saltwater crocodile named "Cassius" kept in the crocodile park of MarineLand Melanesia in Queensland, Australia.

A CLOSER LOOK

Lolong was caught in a Bunawan creek in the province of Agusan del Sur in the Philippines on September 3, 2011.He was captured with the joint cooperation of the local government unit, residents and crocodile hunters of Palawan. The giant crocodile was hunted over a period of three weeks, and, once he was found, it took around 100 people to bring him onto land. He became aggressive at several points during the capture, and twice broke restraining ropes before eventually being properly secured^. He is estimated to be at least 50 years old.

Lolong was suspected of eating a farmer who went missing in the town of Bunawan, and also of consuming a 12-year-old girl whose head was discovered two years earlier. He was also the primary suspect in the disappearance of water buffaloes in the area. In the examination of the stomach contents after his capture, remnants of water buffaloes reported missing before Lolong's capture were found, but no human remains. Experts say the vast Agusan Marsh's tourism potential needs intensive study to avoid fatal human-crocodile encounters. The capture of Lolong is a good advantage in protecting him for survival, against danger he posed to the humans, an attraction and income for the locality, and an opportunity for scientific study.

The non-governmental organization (NGO) activist Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc., with the cooperation of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has urged the local government of Bunawan to return Lolong to the creek of barangay Nueva Era, where the giant reptile was captured. But, in an ongoing debate, Bunawan mayor Edwin “Cox” Elorde and residents of the barangay opposed the crocodile's release, arguing that he would threaten individuals living in the vicinity of the creek.

Source: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/02/11/worlds-largest-crocodile-dies-leaving-town-in-mourning/