Another giant crocodile at large
By ELLALYN B. DE VERA
September 10, 2011, 8:27pm
MANILA, Philippines — A gigantic crocodile — as big as the 20.1-foot long crocodile captured recently in Agusan del Sur — remains at large in the Agusan Marsh as authorities still have no permit to capture the second wayward crocodile.Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (PWRCC) official Ronnie Sumiller said the local folk have to discontinue their search for another male crocodile spotted in Agusan Marsh because they still have to seek a new “permit to trap” from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB).“The permit we have was only for the first crocodile that we had caught,” Sumiller said in a phone interview.Sumiller was part of the composite team of wildlife experts and local officials who caught an enormous saltwater crocodile (scientific name: Crocodylus porosus) in Agusan del Sur last Sept. 3.The crocodile was named “Lolong,” after one of its captors, Ernesto “Lolong” Conate, a Palawan-based crocodile hunter who was part of the team that helped in capturing the gigantic crocodile, died from a heart attack during their mission.According to PAWB Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, catching crocodile from the wild is prohibited, because saltwater crocodiles are considered “critically-endangered.”The Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, which served as Lolong’s natural habitat until its capture, was also established as a protected area by virtue of Proclamation No. 913 issued on Oct. 31, 1996.However, a crocodile hunt in the Agusan Marsh started in 2009 after it was reported that a 12-year-old girl’s head was bitten off.Last May, Lim said, the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary gave its go-signal for the Bunawan municipal government to capture the nuisance crocodile.After “Lolong” was captured last September 3, Sumiller said they found identification markings of another male crocodile, which is possibly bigger or similar in size to “Lolong.”
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