‘Hostaged’ crocodile freed

COTABATO, Philippines – Muslim and Christian residents joined Mlang municipal officials yesterday in setting free a 2.9-meter crocodile at the vast Liguasan Marsh.

Mayor Joselito Piñol and representatives of the Palawan Wildlife Rescue Center took turns with local folks in carrying the crocodile named Malang, who was restrained in an improvised hammock, from Barangay Dungguan to the swamp where fishermen accidentally caught the reptile two weeks ago.

Piñol said they did not have any intention of keeping Malang captive.

It was kept for two weeks to be treated for severe dehydration resulting from his having been tied under a tree for days without food and water, he added.

Initial reports said local fishermen had demanded “ransom” for Malang, keeping the reptile chained to a tree while they waited for payment.

Environment advocates warned that payment would encourage hunting for endangered wild life.

The Mlang municipal government plans to build a statue of Malang as a reminder of how Muslim and Christian residents have worked together to rehabilitate the crocodile and planned his return to the wild, Piñol said.

Fishermen in Dungguan in the southwest of Mlang have frequently seen crocodiles in the swamps around the barangay, one of the known gateways to the 220,000-hectare delta at the boundary of Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat provinces.

The Liguasan Marsh, the world’s largest in terms of surface area, abounds with endemic fish, reptile and bird species, as well as reportedly vast deposits of natural gas.

Local veterinarians have certified that Malang, a freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis), was healthy enough to be freed in the wild.

Malang is not the first crocodile to be caught in the vast Liguasan delta.

In 1994, fishermen in Maguindanao’s Pagalungan town along the Liguasan Marsh caught a 16-foot crocodile in the northern side of the delta. 

Municipality lauded

The municipality of Mlang was lauded yesterday for deciding to free Malang.

In a statement, Rochelle Regodon, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) campaign manager, said that they were pleased that Mlang municipality, headed by Mayor   Piñol, took a firm stance on wildlife protection.

“No enclosure, no matter how large, is able to provide crocodiles with everything that is natural and important to them,” she said.

PETA commended the Department of Environment and Natural Resources  (DENR) for advocating for the release of   Malang and saving it from the fate of Lolong, a crocodile who died in captivity.

PETA believes that Lolong’s capture and subsequent exploitative confinement caused its untimely death. 

A necropsy found that Lolong died from late-stage pneumonia, cardiac failure, multiple organ failure and non-adaptive stress response, all of which can be attributed to its captivity.

In the wild, crocodiles spend hours swimming and can regulate the buoyancy and temperature called “thermo-regulation” of their bodies.

PETA said zoos severely restrict animals’ natural behavior, like flying, swimming, running, hunting, climbing, scavenging, foraging, digging, exploring and selecting a partner. 

“Displaying a crocodile would not bring fame or honor to the Philippines or Cotabato,” PETA said. “Keeping Malang in captivity would have only shown a lack of regard for animal welfare,” PETA said.

PETA said the physical and mental frustrations of captivity often lead to abnormal, neurotic and even self-destructive behavior in animals. – With Evelyn Macairan