Lolong The Crocodile To Become A Philippine Tourist Attraction

The hunt for a crocodile that ate a water buffalo in a small Philippine town is over, and locals hope to turn the creature into its star tourist attraction.

The animal, named Lolong after a wildlife expert who died of a stroke during the two-week hunt for the buffalo-killer, will live in a cage to be built in Barangay Consuelo in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur.

Weighing in at just over one ton, the male 20-foot saltwater crocodile is considered the biggest ever captured, reports The Philippine Star. Locals hope to get him into the "Guinness World Records" book, as he would likely break the current record for largest captive croc. That title is currently held by the 5.48-meter ringer Cassius, caught in Australia.

"We will really try to set a Guinness record for Lolong. We' re just waiting for the national (environment) office for further advice," Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde told the Xinhua News Agency. "I think, with what you saw, we stand a chance (to clinch it)."

Local officials who will care for Lolong will be aided by a team from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB). He's currently living in temporary dwellings in the village of Consuelo, where the nature park is temporarily closed to help Lolong adjust to his new environment.

However, the crocodile hunt might not be over. Officials believe an even larger crocodile, who may be responsible for the death of a missing villager, might be lurking nearby, reports NTD Television. And, there may be even more creatures still.

Elorde confirmed an operation to catch the second crocodile, which will be carried out by the same group responsible for Lolong's capture.

Comments

[Steve9298]

07:46 PM on 09/09/2011

Krikey!

[Chockolate]

08:17 AM on 09/09/2011

A tourist attraction in the Phillipines, huh? Sounds great except for the absence of tourists that go there.

[Mr Anonymous]

11:01 PM on 09/08/2011

I'm suprised it hasn't died yet from the massive amounts of stress that it has endured.

[IndependentGadfly]

07:23 PM on 09/08/2011

Why were they waterboarding that croc? I don't think he's going to talk about what happened to that water buffalo ...

[klun73]

11:43 PM on 09/09/2011

No, but he's getting close to admitting he swallowed the old fisherman. Carry on.

[tick-food]

04:06 PM on 09/08/2011

Has anyone asked him if he intends to enter the race for the Republican presidential nomination?

[Hugatreetoday]

03:45 PM on 09/08/2011

That is just so GD sad.

[onwisconsin]

03:39 PM on 09/08/2011

Humans are strange creatures. Somehow, we've lost the awe of the natural world and simply only want to exploit the truly amazing creatures we come across.
Welcome to jail, croc. Seems like a life sentence is a bit much for one buffalo. Maybe they'll let you have conjugal visits in the eventuality that they "capture" your larger friend.

[rgilley]

03:14 PM on 09/08/2011

Wonder what happened to the comments on HP?

[Grace Hulbert]

03:17 PM on 09/08/2011

Whew, I'm not the only one then. Thought I was going crazy. AOL must be screwing around again.

[Jabandit]

02:38 PM on 09/08/2011

gnarly bro

[jag1018]

02:34 PM on 09/08/2011

Incredibly sad. Just leave the poor thing alone. Another animal ripped from the only life it has ever know in its native habitat--simply so the world can have something new to gawk at. People suck.

[tick-food]

04:07 PM on 09/08/2011

Actually, according to Lolong's friend, people are quite tasty.

[Joel Kent Melville]

02:19 PM on 09/08/2011

so what if it killed a water buffalo its a dang croc what do you expect? if i was 20 feet long and weighed 2000 pounds i sure wouldnt want to live a stinking cage. PETA should save lolong from such treatment.

[mayagibson]

04:56 PM on 09/08/2011

Water Buffalo is a huge source of income for the rural families who lived in that area. They dont use machinery to farm/cultivate the land. The domesticated water buffalo means the family who owns it will lose their livelihood - the people in that area are very poor and rely to feed themselves from farming/fishing. The crocodile was also suspected of killing a fisherman and 12 year old girl. This is the reason why the village decided to capture the man-eating crocodile. There is no way to tell if this is the same croc that killed the 12 year old girl but it fits the description of wtinesses, but the one who killed a fisherman is still around and suspected to be even bigger. It's actually kind of these people to keep the crocodile alive and just place it in a sanctuary and turn it to asset to become a tourist attraction and help the village financially (wherein the average person earns $1/day).

[bdcelina777]

02:10 PM on 09/08/2011

Obama should appoint the croc as his chief negotiater with GOP/TP House members.

[VapidWorldOrder]

02:06 PM on 09/08/2011

"My Mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush."
B.B.-1998

[up2uamerica]

01:50 PM on 09/08/2011

Poor guy, he probably won't last long in captivity. The should relocate him to a remote are and let him live out his days where he belongs, in the wild. Catch and release I say!

[BulldogDad]

01:46 PM on 09/08/2011

Kill that thing. What are they waiting for? For it to escape and eat half the village?