‘Lolong’ necropsy results out in 2 weeks

MANILA, Philippines - It would take at least two weeks before results of the necropsy on the world’s largest saltwater crocodile will be known, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) disclosed yesterday.

“Lolong” died last Feb. 10 in his pen at the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center in Agusan del Sur due to a still undetermined cause. Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the necropsy report would come from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños College of Veterinary Medicine (UPLB-CVM), where Lolong’s tissue samples are currently being examined.

A team of veterinarians and other experts deployed by DENR to Bunawan after Lolong died sent the tissue samples from the remains of the crocodile to the UPLB laboratory.

“The necropsy is just the initial step in determining the cause of Lolong’s death. There are still several studies to be done, and the results could be out in as early as two weeks, but may take longer,” Paje said.

The Guinness Book of 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 named “Cassius” held the previous Guinness record, which it has since reclaimed. At 18 feet and weighing close to a ton, the reptile was captured in the Northern Territory in 1984.

Lolong was named after one of its 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.

Paje appealed to the public and the media to refrain from speculating over the cause of Lolong’s death pending the release of the results of the necropsy.

Paje said all official details of the investigation would be coursed through the office of the Director of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB).

PAWB director Theresa Mundita Lim said the tissue samples from Lolong’s vital organs were sent to UPLB for evaluation.