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Celebrity croc ‘Lolong’ finally eats


After weeks of not eating, "Lolong," the 21-foot-long saltwater crocodile captured in Agusan del Sur last month, may have finally regained its appetite, a radio report said Tuesday. "Lolong," captured last Sept. 3 in Bunawan town, consumed seven kilos of pork at 10 p.m. Monday, according to a report on Radyo Mo Nationwide (RMN). The crocodile had been transferred to a nearby nature park shortly after its capture in Agusan Marsh. It took 30 men to subdue the creature following a three-week hunt. Guinness record? Guinness World Records earlier said it is "awaiting evidence" to show "Lolong" indeed deserves a world record for being the largest of its kind in captivity. "If the measurements are validated the reported 600-kg croc would be the largest of its kind in captivity," it said on its website. Guinness said the current record for the largest crocodile in captivity belongs to "Cassius" in 2008, an Australian saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), measuring 5.48 meters (17 feet, 11.75 inches). It said the largest crocodile of all time is Sarcosuchus imperator, a prehistoric species which lived around 110 million years ago. "Recent fossilized remains found in the Sahara Desert suggest that this creature took around 50-60 years to grow to its full length of around 11-12 meters (37-40 ft) with its maximum weight of around 8 tons," Guinness said. No to croc’s transfer Meanwhile, the mayor of Bunawan town opposes the reported plan of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to transfer "Lolong" to a seven-hectare lagoon at the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) compound in Quezon City. "All local government officials of Bunawan especially the villagers and officials of Barangay Nueva Era must also be consulted and series of meetings with them must he held if they insist of transferring 'Lolong' and I am sure they will not agree," said Mayor Edwin Elorde on Monday. "I think the idea of transferring 'Lolong' is unacceptable to local officials and residents… I will not agree to the DENR and PAWB idea to transfer Lolong," he added. Elorde also said that he had communicated with PAWB Director Mundita Lim, and that Lim had told him that there is no such plan to transfer "Lolong" to Quezon City. "Director Lim explained to me everything and claimed she was only misquoted and never did she want 'Lolong' transferred to Quezon City or anywhere else," he said. — with Ben Serrano/KBK/HS, GMA News

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