Atienza asks experts to track down 'killer crocodile'

MANILA, Philippines - Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza yesterday asked experts from the Palawan Crocodile Farm to help authorities in Agusan del Sur track down a huge crocodile that killed a 12-year-old girl.

Atienza also directed the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary to cordon off the area to ensure the safety of local residents.

He also instructed the board to immediately conduct an “extensive” information campaign in communities to avoid a repeat of the gruesome death of the young student, who was decapitated by what witnesses described as a 30 feet long crocodile in Lake Mihaba last Tuesday.

“We have already advised our experts in Palawan to assist in tracking down the dangerous crocodile and I am enjoining the local officials to provide the necessary support to the PAMB in conducting an information drive among the locals as well as barricading the area to prevent additional victims,” Atienza said.

Citing a report from Agusan Marsh assistant park superintendent Rufino Miranda, Atienza said the victim, Rowena Romano, was riding a banca with her cousin Jennifer Daga-as on their way to a floating school when the “monster” crocodile attacked them in Lake Mihaba.

Atienza said the crocodile bumped the banca, causing it to capsize, and caught Romano by the head, before bringing her down into the water. A fisherman escorting the two young girls in another boat rescued Daga-as.

Atienza said a fisherman named Rosglano Navarro, of Katipunan, Loreto town, is still recuperating from leg wounds from a crocodile attack in the Agusan Marsh last February.

The Agusan Marsh is a protected area comprising 59 lakes, including Lake Mihaba, which is located at the southwestern portion of the marsh.

The western portion of Lake Mihaba has been identified as a habitat and breeding ground of crocodiles because of its rich vegetation and isolation, the DENR said.

Miranda said freshwater and saltwater crocodiles thrive in the Agusan Marsh, with those in Lake Mihaba described as robust, the masculine type, and black in color.