LOLONG, THE LARGEST CROCODILE IN THE WORLD

This was at the later part of our road trip from ZC to Dapitan to CDO to Bukidnon to Davao to Davao Del Norte to Agusan to Misamis Oriental and back to ZC.
But, since this is one of the most unexpected places I would ever visit, I am posting this ahead!

We visited Lolong, the largest and longest crocodile in the world (in captivity) in Bunawan, Agusan Del Sur!

These days, I have heard in the news that Lolong has been officially named by the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest and longest saltwater crocodile in captivity at 20.25 feet!!!

We had to walk a long way to go to the place where Lolong is kept...

The warnings as stated in the Visayan dialect.

Finally, here we are!

 

Thanks to these folks... they take care of Lolong!

Where Lolong stays now...

Another pond...

Actually, they told us we were lucky because today there was no water in the pond. There are times, the pond is filled and all you see are Lolong's eyes  and top part of his body!!!

Lolong really looks old. Note that there are moss attached to his scales. Lolong has very slow movements...

 

Then, he opened his mouth and kept this position for sometime...

Though, they do not ideally want to put Lolong in captivity, it is also a choice because safety is the issue.

This is the area near the site. The place is really beautiful and the people are so happy swimming and enjoying the water!
...Wonder if there are crocs here?

 

And when we left, we didn't forget the Lolong bread...

This was the very kind boy who let us borrow his umbrella for free...
usually, they rent out the umbrellas.

Here is what I gathered about Lolong from Wikipedia:

Lolong is the largest crocodile in captivity. He is an Indo-Pacific or Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) measured at 20 feet 3 inches (6.17 meters), making him one of the largest crocodiles ever measured from snout-to-tail.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

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.^[1][2]

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 and 11.75 inches (5.48 meters) male saltwater crocodile named "Cassius" kept in the crocodile park of MarineLand Melanesia in Queensland, Australia.

Lolong was caught in a Bunawan creek in the province of Agusan del Sur in the Philippines on September 3, 2011.^[3][6] He was captured with the joint cooperation of the local government unit, residents and crocodile hunters of Palawan. It took three weeks to hunt down the giant crocodile and about 100 people to take him out of the water.^[7] Lolong broke twice from restraining ropes before he was properly secured and he became extremely aggressive several times.^[8] He is estimated to be at least 50 years old.^[9]

Lolong is 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 is also the primary suspect in the disappearance of water buffaloes in the area.^[10] 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 it 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 a cooperation of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has urged the local government of Bunawan to return Lolong in 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 oppose the crocodile's release, arguing that it would threaten individuals living in the vicinity of the creek.

The crocodile is named after Ernesto "Lolong" Goloran Cañete, one of the veteran crocodile hunters from the Palawan Crocodile and Wildlife Reservation Center who led the hunt.^[11] After weeks of stalking, the hunt for Lolong took its toll on Cañete's health. He died of a heart attack several days before the crocodile was captured.

After six months of waiting since the visit of Australian zoologist and crocodile expert Dr. Adam Britton, Lolong was officially certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s biggest crocodile in captivity.”^[14] The certification was read in public during the celebration of Araw ng Bunawan.^[15]

Lolong is part of the ecosystem...we do hope he would be cared for well in captivity.