Bunawan: ‘Lolong’ stays with us

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Residents of Bunawan and the province of Agusan Sur want the remains of “Lolong” to be kept in the town’s eco-park, where the world’s largest crocodile was held since his capture in September 2011.

Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde said the P2-million earnings from the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center in Barangay Consuelo will be used to build a museum for the remains of the animal that died last Sunday.

Elorde told The STAR that the fund came from fees paid by local and foreign tourists that have visited the crocodile at his pen.

Elorde said the P2-million fund was initially divided into four portions to be used by the municipal government, Barangay Consuelo, eco-park management, and for the care of the crocodile.

He said that the money for the municipal government and for Lolong was placed in a savings account that was opened at the Land Bank of the Philippines under the name Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center/Lolong.

Elorde said the P2 million that is still intact would now be used for the construction of a museum and the expenses for the taxidermy process to preserve Lolong’s remains.

He that residents of Bunawan and the whole of Agusan Sur want Lolong’s remains to be kept in Bunawan eco-park, where he was held since his capture last September 2011.

“We do not want Lolong to be taken away from us. Lolong will stay with us,” Elorde said, adding that so far, he has not received any communication or any offer for the remains of Lolong to be transferred from Bunawan.

The Guinness World Records had certified Lolong as the world’s biggest crocodile in captivity, measuring 6.17 meters or 21 feet and three inches and weighing 1,075 kilos.

The Australian crocodile “Cassius” that held the previous Guinness record, measured 18 feet and weighed close to one ton, was captured in the Northern Territory in 1984.

Lolong was named after one of his captors, Ernesto “Lolong” Conate, a Palawan-based crocodile hunter who was a member of the team that captured the animal on Sept. 3, 2011 in the swamps of Bunawan.

Elorde had earlier rejected the offer of Environment Secretary Ramon Paje to transfer Lolong to a better cage at the Quezon City Parks and Wildlife.

Lolong was declared dead Sunday after the animal was found floating on its back with a bloated stomach in a pond in the eco-park.

“The whole town, in fact the whole province, is mourning,” Elorde said. “My phones kept ringing because people wanted to say how affected they are.”

The Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) sent a team of veterinarians that conducted the necropsy on the remains of Lolong to determine the cause of death of the giant crocodile.

The official result of the necropsy will be released within the week.

The necropsy of Lolong reportedly took eight hours.

Director Mundita Lim said experts would preserve Lolong’s remains that could be used by researchers.

“The plan on where to put or display it afterwards will have to be discussed as well. Maybe it can be displayed in one place for a certain period, then at another venue the next time. However, these things are just ideas for now and nothing is final yet,” she added.

Lim said the initial finding of the necropsy showed that there was no nylon cord or any foreign object found in the animal’s stomach.

She said final report on the necropsy could be released on Friday.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also sent veterinarians and biological experts to Bunawan to help determine the cause of death of the crocodile.

Paje said the team is composed of representatives from the PAWB and the National Museum, who will make sure that Lolong’s skin will be preserved.

“The team will help ensure that the necropsy would be carried out in a manner that would make it possible to contribute Lolong’s remains to taxidermy,” Paje said.

The body of the crocodile was covered with ice to preserve it.  With Rhodina Villanueva, AP