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.

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(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.

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Sources: Manila Bulletin and Balita.

Confirmed! Lolong is the World's Longest Croc

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

The people of Bunawan had finally received the good news. Lolong is now considered as the longest saltwater crocodile in the whole world. He dethroned the Australian crocodile, Cassius, from the top 1 of the “longest crocodile” list.

The confirmation was made last week when the Australian zoologist and croc expert Dr. Adam Britton measured Lolong inside his pen in the town of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. Dr. Britton lead the team from National Geographic that are shooting a documentary about Lolong.

The measurement of Lolong is 21 feet and one inch, while Cassius measures just 18 feet long. Lolong weighs 1,075 kilograms according to Dr. Britton.

Lolong was captured last September after it was suspected that a crocodile ate a fisherman and a schoolgirl. The saltwater crocodile was named after Ernesto “Lolong” Coñate, who died before his the saltwater crocodile was captured in the Agusan Marsh.

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Lolong as he was captured last September.

Lolong to be Published in Guinness

The National Geographic team will send their official measurements to the Guinness Book of World records. However, Lolong has to wait for six months before he can be published in Guinness. That is the Guinness rules according to Britton.

The mayor of Bunawan is expecting that Lolong’s publication in Guinness Book of World Records will boost the tourism industry in the municipality. According to the mayor, Lolong already earned around 500 million pesos from donations and entrance and parking fees at the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center.

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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.

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(Source: Reuters)

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

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(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.

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