DENR and Bunawan Gov't Fight Over Lolong

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje mentioned his plan of transferring the 20-foot crocodile named Lolong to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City. The DENR Secretary said that he plans to place Lolong to the 7-hectare lagoon inside the wildlife center. Paje already ordered Parks and Wildlife Bureau Director Mundita Lim to take photos of the park, which will be used in convincing Bunawan government leaders and residents to give up Lolong.

Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center has a total area of 22.7 hectares. The wildlife center is the place where snakes, birds, lizards and other wild animals found in Metro Manila are taken care of. Paje believes that the wildlife center’s 7-hectare lagoon is a much better place for Lolong than the 800-square meter pen in Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center.

.

The lagoon inside Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center.

Secretary Paje also declared Lolong as the Philippines’ new “ambassador for conservation.” DENR will use Lolong to raise awareness on the need to protect the environment and biodiversity.

Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde vehemently opposed the plan of the DENR Secretary. He said that he need to consult the residents of Bunawan before they can decide on the issue. He also said that the DENR is yet to inform them of the plan to transfer Lolong.
.

Lolong taking a bath.

Mayor Elorde said that Lolong eco-tourism in the CARAGA Region is at its peak due to the capture of Lolong. The transfer of Lolong will have negative effect to the tourism in the region.

---

Information for this post obtained from Philippine Star and Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Videos of Lolong the Giant Buwaya

Lolong is the largest crocodile as declared by National Geographic and Guinness Book of World Record. Because of this, the giant buwaya or crocodile caught a lot of attention from international and local media. Newspapers and news website have articles for Lolong.

With all the “fame” that Lolong got it is not surprising that a lot of people caught him on camera. Here is one video from ABS-CBN:

.

This video shows Lolong bound from head to tail as he is transferred to his litter. The ropes ensured that Lolong will not eat up his captors.

Here is another video which shows Lolong being put into a sedation:

.

The sedation was done inside Lolong’s cage in Bunawan Nature Park.

Another video shows what happened during the visit of Guiness Book of World Record Team to Bunawan. The team measured Lolong so as to confirm his length. Here is the video:

.

Another video came from GMA Channel’s 24 Hours (Bente Kwatro Oras) news program:

.

Lolong is really large! People are torn if this crocodile should resume its captivity or be released to Agusan Marsh, which is the natural home of crocodiles in the town of Bunawan. What do you think? Is it right to release Lolong?

The Hunt for Croc Bigger than Lolong is On

The crowning of Lolong as the Guinness Book of World Records’ largest crocodile in captivity made the people of the town of Bunawan more motivated to capture a much larger crocodile. 

The officials of Barangay Nueva Era, which is led by Chairman Teofanies Adlanes, passed a barangay resolution on December 2011 and another resolution last April 16, 2012 to fast track the hunt for crocodiles that are larger than Lolong.

.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Large Buwaya Stalking a Carabao

The barangay resolutions were made after residents reported seeing a large crocodile in the vicinity. Residents reported that a large crocodile chased a carabao at Magsagangsang Creek, which is the place where Lolong was caught. Magsagangsang Creek is within the Agusan Marsh.

Residents fear for their lives. The attack to a carabao prompted them to send letters to their barangay and municipal officials.

The Parks and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-PAWB) said that their survey teams did not saw any crocodiles larger than Lolong within the Agusan Marsh. The DENR officials warned the Bunawan residents from capturing crocodiles inside the Marsh because it is against the law.

Another Guinness Record

If the claims of Bunawan residents are true, then there is a possibility that Lolong will be dethroned. All they need to do is to capture the large crocodile and present it to the officials of Guinness. Bunawan will be popular again. The downside is that capturing crocodiles of the Agusan Marsh will affect the delicate biodiversity of the marsh.

---

Sources: Manila Bulletin and Balita.

Lolong is Guinness' Largest Crocodile

Finally! Lolong, the great buwaya (crocodile) caught in the town of Bunawan, is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest crocodile in captivity. This confirmation came 7 months after a team from National Geographic visited Bunawan to measure the giant crocodile.

The National Geographic team was led by the Dr. Adam Briton, who is a crocodile expert. Dr. Britton and his team hailed Lolong as the world’s largest crocodile dethroning Cassius from the National Geographic list. Cassius was captured in Australia and was considered as the largest croc before the discovery of Lolong.

According to Guinness World Records website, Lolong measured 6.17 m (20.24 ft) and has a weight of approximately 1,075 kg (2,370 lbs).

.

Lolong, the world's largest croc.

Lolong was captured by the late Ernesto “Lolong” Coñate. The hunt was begun because there were reports that a crocodile in Agusan Marsh has eaten a schoolgirl and a fisherman. Coñate died before Lolong was captured by other crocodile hunters in his team.

Local leaders of the town of Bunawan expect that the announcement of Guinness World Records will improve the town’s tourism. Lolong was placed inside an 800 meters pen and many people flocked Bunawan just to see the world’s largest crocodile.

Crocodile hunters believe that there are other crocodiles in Agusan Marsh that are larger than Lolong. It is possible that Lolong will be dethroned by his kin in Agusan Marsh from Guinness Book of World Records.

---

Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about Manila Zoo.

Follow me in Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Flickr.

Fasting of Lolong is Finally Over

BREAKING NEWS: Guiness Book of World Record declared Lolong as the largest crocodile in captivity. Read more about this news here.

After about one month of not eating, Lolong, the giant buwaya, finally ate the food that is being given to him by his caretakers. The giant buwaya was caught last month in the Agusan Marsh by crocodile hunters in the belief that the buwaya is responsible for the death of a fisherman and a grade school student. Lolong Buwaya was placed inside an 800 square meter pen and is visited by many people from the areas around the municipality of Bunawan. International groups were also interested with Lolong because of its immense size.

Lolong refused to eat in the past month and doctors said that the buwaya is stressed because of the situation that he is in. Because of this, Bunawan mayor Edwin Elorde decided to limit the visitors of Lolong to reduce the stress on the buwaya.

.

(Source: Inquirer online)

It was reported that at 10 in the morning, Monday (October 5), Lolong ate 7 kilograms of raw pork. Officials of the Bunawan Municipal Government saw this as a sign that the buwaya’s condition is improving. It was said that Lolong Buwaya was given raw pork and dressed chicken alternately.

On the other note, Mayor Elorde believes that there are buwaya that are larger than Lolong that still roams freely in Agusan Marsh.

---

Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about Manila Cathedral’s pipe organ.

Lolong Buwaya: A Worlwide "Celebrity"

BREAKING NEWS: Guiness Book of World Record declared Lolong as the largest crocodile in captivity. Read more about this news here.

Is Lolong the largest buwaya (crocodile) alive? Many people agree that Lolong is the largest buwaya in the Agusan Marsh. With the length of 6.4 meters or 21 feet, who wouldn't say that Lolong is the largest of all the buwaya in the Philippines. The Mayor of Bunawan thinks otherwise. Mayor Edwin Elorde of Bunawan said crocodile hunters saw a crocodile that is larger than Lolong. The said crocodile has a larger head and wider back as compared to Lolong.

Even if there is a possibility that Lolong is not the largest buwaya in Agusan Marsh, many international groups were interested with the giant salt-water crocodile. Last month, Time Magazine included Lolong in its list of Top 10 real life monsters. Guinness World Records and National Geographic Society were also interested with Lolong and planned to send teams to check on Lolong Buwaya.
.

(Source: Inquirer.net)

Guinness is interested in Lolong because the buwaya is a contender in dethroning the longest salt-water crocodile in its list. The current record for longest salt-water crocodile is being hold by the 17 feet and 11.75 inches long crocodile caught in Australia. At a length of about 21 feet, Lolong Buwaya can easily remove the Australian crocodile from the Guinness Book of World Records.

The animal “rights” group, PETA, also weighed in the popularity of Lolong. They demand Lolong to be freed to the wild despite the fact the buwaya is suspected of killing to people and may cause hazard to citizens of Bunawan. The group also accused the mayor of Bunawan of using the captivity of Lolong as a money-making scheme. Members of PETA issued the demand without visiting the area and considering the risk posed to people. Lolong is currently placed inside a 800 square meter pen.
.

(Source: Pilipino Star Ngayon)

Lolong Buwaya is now a famous crocodile. It is possible that it will be included in the list of Guiness Book of World Records.

---

Follow me in Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and YouSayToo.

Sources of information: Inquirer.net, PhilStar.com and Interaksyon.

Lolong - the Giant Buwaya

BREAKING NEWS: Guiness Book of World Record declared Lolong as the largest crocodile in captivity. Read more about this news here.

The Southern part of the Philippines is popular in the news because of the a giant buwaya that was caught there recently. Buwaya is the Tagalog term for crocodile. The giant buwaya, which was named as “Lolong,” is 6.4 meters (21 feet) long and is now considered as the biggest buwaya ever caught in the Philippines. Lolong was caught after destroying around seven traps that was set up the previous days.

Lolong, the buwaya, was named after the veteran Filipino crocodile hunter Ernesto “Lolong” Coñate, who lead the capture of the giant crocodile. Coñate was called to the Agusan Marsh to capture crocodile Lolong after it was reported that the crocodile killed a schoolgirl and a fisherman.

So where to find the giant crocodile? Lolong was captured in the town of Bunawan in the province of Agusan del Sur. The town is a second class municipality wherein some part of the Agusan Marsh is located. Agusan Marsh is the habitat of various animals, including the Lolong and other buwaya.

.

(Source: Reuters)

The above photo shows how long Lolong is. Here is another photo of Lolong:

.

(Source: AP)

The local officials of Bunawan is considering to build an ecopark for Lolong. The buwaya is already a menace to the citizens of Bunawan, that is why releasing Lolong to the wild is not being considered. The local government also consider making Lolong as the town's tourist attraction.

---

Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about pili-made pasalubong from Camarines.

Follow me in Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and YouSayToo.