22 February 2024 , 13:56
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A giant saltwater crocodile once reportedly ate an adult man and a 12-year-old girl before dying from stress.
Lolong the croc became feared throughout the Philippines and around the world after allegedly eating a fisherman who mysteriously went missing from the town of Bunawan. The reptile is also believed to have bitten a 12-year-old girl’s head off and feasted on her body.
Nail-biting footage shows the moment he was Lolong was captured in 2011, and he was taken to live in a zoo shortly afterwards. A gigantic 21ft long and weighing 157 stone, Guinness World Records confirmed the following year that the male was the largest saltwater crocodile ever held in captivity. It was found dead in its enclosure in 2013 and is said to have passed away from stress.
The massive croc was named Lolong after capture (AFP via Getty Images)The mission to capture human-killing croc saw villagers and government officials band together to track down the beast, with the group eventually finding success three weeks in when they discovered it lurking in a creek. But the hardest part came in actually getting the reptile out of the river, and a 100-man team was needed to eventually get it onto dry land. A couple of heart-stopping moments during the capture saw the monster crocodile snap two restraining ropes, and repeatedly snapping at his captors before finally giving in.
Lolong's story has now been remembered after an image of someone poking the beast with a stick was uploaded to Reddit. One user explained: "'Lolong' was the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity. He died because of 'fungal infection' and 'stress' two years after being captured." One theory from local vet Alex Collantes at the time of the croc's death suggested that unusually cold weather may have caused a downturn in health.
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The saltwater crocodile died in 2013 after two years in captivity (Getty Images)Speaking after Lolong's death, Mayor Elorde told the Philippine Daily Inquirer: "He refused to eat since last month and we noticed a change in the colour of his faeces. Our personnel also noticed an unusual ballooning of the reptile's belly." He additionally spoke of his wishes for Lolong's body to be preserved, so that "people can still look and marvel at him".
According to Reddit users, the mayor's wishes have come to pass, and the croc is now said to be on display at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila. One visitor wrote: "Went to see it when I was there some years ago. It's very, very big. Sort of like seeing a dinosaur recreation. Except you know... these things still live."