5,000 more crocs living in Agusan?

MANILA, Philippines - There may be more crocodiles where “Lolong” came from.

Local officials in Agusan del Sur headed by Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde and residents of Barangay Nueva Era believe that the captured 20-foot crocodile Lolong is not alone and that an estimated 5,000 crocodiles of various sizes can be found within the 96,000-hectare Agusan Marsh.

Elorde and officials of the local environment and wildlife office yesterday said the number of crocodiles inhabiting Agusan Marsh may reach 5,000.

“That is our lowest estimates so far considering Agusan Marsh has total area of 96,000 hectares where about seven towns of Agusan del Sur are situated,” Elorde said.

The mayor said they based their estimates on the accounts of villagers who have discovered several crocodile eggs in the marsh.

Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau director Mundita Lim said they will conduct a baseline study to find out if there are other crocodiles taking shelter within the marsh.

“From that study, we can adopt measures for the safety of the people and the crocodile inhabitants to determine whether they can co-exist or not,’’ Lim told reporters.

In a separate interview with The STAR, Lim said the study will also be a basis for the creation of a Comprehensive Wildlife Protection and Development Program because Agusan Marsh is not only a habitat for crocodiles but also other wildlife species that need protection.

“As of now, all we can say are just speculations, we cannot determine how many really is the population of crocodiles in the area,’’ Lim added.

Meanwhile, here comes an unusual giant fish.

A strange fish weighing 35 kilos surfaced in the coastal area of Barangay San Isidro, Magallanes, Agusan del Norte at dawn Saturday.

Barangay Sto. Niño chairperson Candelaria Castro Millanes told The STAR that a group of fishermen was surprised when a giant fish got near their fishing boat, prompting them to hit the strange thing with their boat paddles.

The black and white fish measuring 5.5 feet long could have been killed by the continuous hitting of the paddles by fishermen.

The giant fish was already lifeless when found floating by residents at 7 a.m. at the seashore in Sto. Nino.

Millanes said they have asked the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to identify what kind of fish was discovered in the area.

“The discovery of this giant fish prompted curious people from different areas to come to our barangay to see for themselves the unusual fish that’s why we decided to bury it yesterday,’’ Millanes said.