Giant saltwater crocodile eats its first meal in captivity

Manila (dpa) – The largest recorded saltwater crocodile in the
Philippines has eaten its first meal in captivity, nearly one month
after he was captured, a local official said Tuesday.

The 6.4-metre reptile ate seven kilos of raw pork Monday evening
in a wildlife park in Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur province, 840
kilometres south of Manila, according to Welinda Asis-Elorde, a local
government spokeswoman.

The 1-ton croc, nicknamed Lolong, had been refusing to eat since
he was caught in a marsh in Bunawan on September 3.

Animal rights groups had expressed concern that Lolong’s refusal
to eat could be an indication that he was traumatized by the capture.

Asis-Elorde said workers at the wildlife park would again try to
feed Lolong on Tuesday evening.

“Maybe he’s not yet full,” she said. “We will feed him dressed
chicken tonight.”

Lolong was captured after he was suspected of eating a local man
who went missing in July and killing a 12-year-old girl whose head
was bitten in 2009.

The Guinness Book of World Records is scheduled to dispatch a team
to Bunawan to verify if Lolong is the world’s largest saltwater
crocodile.

The current world record is held by Cassius, an Australian
saltwater crocodile measuring 5.48 metres.
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Author: Girlie Linao