Giant crocodile captured in Philippines; more may be found (VIDEO)
Giant crocodile: Filippinos captured a huge crocodile that reportedly had been terrorizing local residents and animals. Hunters are planning to look for more giant crocodiles.
In this photo taken Sunday, Sept. 4, Mayor Cox Elorde of Bunawan township, Agusan del Sur Province, pretends to measure a giant crocodile which was captured by residents and crocodile farm staff along a creek in Bunawan late Saturday in the southern Philippines.
AP
There are crocodiles and then there are giant crocodiles.
A group of hunters and villagers in the Philippines captured an estimated 21 foot-long saltwater crocodile Saturday evening in Bunawan, over 500 miles southeast of the capital, Manila.
Local residents had been fearful of crocodile attacks since a fisherman and young girl had gone missing over the past year.
It took three weeks to hunt down the giant crocodile and nearly 100 people to take it out of the water.
“The community was relieved,” wildlife official Ronnie Sumiller said of the capture, but added: “We’re not really sure if this is the man-eater, because there have been other sightings of other crocodiles in the area.”
For the crocodile the locals have dubbed 'Lolong,' a planned ecotourism park in the Philippines will be his future home.
Filipino crocodile hunters are already planning to head back out into coastal waters and find another, even larger, crocodile.
“There is a bigger one and it could be the one creating problems,” Sumiller told The Associated Press by telephone from Bunawan.