CY@CY Says Welcome to my dreamscape. Where a Lim is also a Ling.
A 21 feet long male saltwater crocodile weighing about 1,075 kilograms was caught last Saturday by villagers and veteran hunters in a creek in the Bunawan township in Agusan del Sur province, a poverty-stricken region 515 miles south east of Manila, Philippines. Wow! Crocodile Dundee would have been proud of you all!
The beast was caught, after a three-week hunt, by villagers who had lived in fear of it for more than 20 years. While it was a constant threat to villagers no one had been brave enough to try to capture it.
However, when a village fisherman went missing in July and the crocodile became the chief suspect, plans were hatched in order to catch it.
It was placed under observation and when it was witnessed by several villagers killing a carabao (water buffalo) last month, they knew their suspicions were right. They sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province.
The operation to capture the crook was set in place after it was seen in a creek. The hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed with its mighty jaws. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday.
At least 100 men were required to pull the huge reptile on to the banks of the creek where, after a great deal of difficulty, it was bound up and then lifted by crane on to the back of a truck.
‘We were very nervous about tackling this beast but it was our duty to deal with it because it was a threat to many villagers and their farm animals,’ said the local mayor, Edwin Cox Elorde.
‘When I finally saw it after its capture I couldn’t believe my eyes.
‘It was big enough to swallow three men all at once.’
Mayor Cox Elorde of Bunawan township, Agusan del Sur Province, posing with the monster.
Residents use their hands to indicate the length of the 21ft salt-water crocodile
Local residents gather around the crocodile, which is believed to have killed a fisherman
Despite being the suspected killer of the fisherman, the crocodile is destined for fame. Officials are planning to make the monster crocodile the star attraction of a planned ecotourism park that is being set up in Agusan.
‘It will be the biggest star of the park,’ said Mr Elorde.
‘The villagers, of course, are very happy that they have been able to turn this dangerous crocodile from a threat into an asset.’
Because several large crocodiles still roam the outskirts of the farming town, the 37,000 people who live in the region have been told not to rest on their laurels. They have been warned not to venture into marsh areas alone at night.
This is the biggest crocodile captured alive in recent years. Its estimated length of 6.4 meters (21 feet), if confirmed, would make it bigger than the 5.5-meter saltwater crocodile in Cairns, Australia. The Australian crocodile has been cited by the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest captive crocodile in the world.
Watch the video of the monster crocodile:
