Lolong
{{Short description|Famous giant saltwater crocodile}}
{{About|the individual crocodile in the Philippines|the TV series produced by GMA Network|Lolong (TV series)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox animal
| name = Lolong
| image = Lolong crocodile.jpg
| caption = A photograph of Lolong during captivity
| hatch_name = Lolong
| species = Crocodylus porosus (Saltwater crocodile)
| gender = Male
| death_date = {{death date|2013|02|10}}
| death_place = Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, Philippines
| resting_place = National Museum of Natural History, Manila
| resting_place_coordinates =
| years_active =
| known = Guinness World Record "world's largest crocodile in captivity"
| weight = {{convert|1075|kg|abbr=on}}
| height =
| appearance =
| website =
}}
Lolong (died 10 February 2013) was the largest crocodile ever held in captivity. He was a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) measured at {{convert|6.17|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}, making him one of the largest crocodiles ever measured from snout to tail, and weighing {{convert|1075|kg|abbr=on}}.{{cite web|title="Lolong" holds world record as largest croc in the world|url=http://bmb.gov.ph/index.php/component/content/article/480-lolong-holds-world-record-as-largest-croc-in-the-world|work=Biodiversity Management Bureau|access-date=8 January 2016|date=17 November 2011}}{{cite web|last=Britton|first=Adam|title=Accurate length measurement for Lolong|url=http://crocodilian.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/accurate-length-measurement-for-lolong.html|work=Croc Blog|access-date=8 January 2016|date=12 November 2011|archive-date=26 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126054039/http://crocodilian.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/accurate-length-measurement-for-lolong.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=NatGeo team confirms Lolong the croc is world's longest|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/237992/news/nation/natgeo-team-confirms-lolong-the-croc-is-world-s-longest|access-date=23 June 2012|work=GMA News|date=9 November 2011}}{{cite news|title=Philippine town claims world's largest crocodile title|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8879042/Philippine-town-claims-worlds-largest-crocodile-title.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110145205/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8879042/Philippine-town-claims-worlds-largest-crocodile-title.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 November 2011|access-date=23 June 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=9 November 2011}}
In November 2011, British crocodile expert Adam Britton of National Geographic sedated and measured Lolong in his enclosure and confirmed him as the world's largest crocodile ever caught and placed in captivity.[http://www.pawb.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=480:lolong-holds-world-record-as-largest-croc-in-the-world&catid=22:news&Itemid=131 "Lolong" holds world record as largest croc in the world] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419075200/http://www.pawb.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=480%3Alolong-holds-world-record-as-largest-croc-in-the-world&catid=22%3Anews&Itemid=131 |date=19 April 2012 }}. Pawb.gov.ph (17 November 2011).
Lolong died on 10 February 2013 from pneumonia and cardiac arrest, after a little over two years five months in captivity.{{cite news|last=Ortiz|first=Erik|title=Tears for a croc: Lolong, the world's largest crocodile in captivity, dies in the Philippines |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/lolong-world-largest-croc-captivity-dies-article-1.1260199|access-date=11 February 2013|newspaper=New York Daily News|date=10 February 2013}}
Capture and habitat
Lolong was caught in a Bunawan creek in the province of Agusan del Sur in the Philippines on 3 September 2011.{{cite news|title=Biggest Crocodile Ever Caught?|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/09/pictures/110906-giant-crocodile-philippines-biggest-ever-caught-captured/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923180815/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/09/pictures/110906-giant-crocodile-philippines-biggest-ever-caught-captured|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 September 2011|access-date=23 June 2012|publisher=National Geographic|date=6 September 2011|agency=Reuters}} He was captured with the joint cooperation of the local government unit, residents, and crocodile hunters of Palawan in the Philippines. Along with the help of Kim Ramos, who happened to be a crocodile expert curious after hearing the story of Rowena Romano.
Hunted over a period of three weeks, it took around 100 people to bring him onto land.{{cite news|title=Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines|url=https://news.yahoo.com/giant-crocodile-captured-alive-philippines-134625838.html|access-date=23 June 2012|publisher=Yahoo! News|date=5 September 2011|agency=Associated Press}} He became aggressive at several points during the capture, and twice broke restraining ropes before eventually being properly secured.{{cite web|title=Largest crocodile captured: Lolong The Crocodile sets world record|url=http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/nature/largest_crocodile_captured_Lolong_The_Crocodile_sets_world_record_112463.html|publisher=World Records Academy|access-date=23 June 2012|date=12 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516193804/http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/nature/largest_crocodile_captured_Lolong_The_Crocodile_sets_world_record_112463.html|archive-date=16 May 2012|url-status=dead}} He was estimated to be at least 50 years old.{{cite news|title=Giant crocodile captured in Philippines – but a bigger one may be at large|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/06/giant-crocodile-captured-philippines-bigger|access-date=23 June 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=6 September 2011|agency=Associated Press}}
Lolong was first suspected of eating a fisherman who went missing in the town of Bunawan, and also of consuming a 12-year-old girl whose head was discovered two years earlier.{{Cite web|agency=Associated Press |date=2009-03-13|title=Crocodile kills schoolgirl, 10, in canoe on lake|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/13/crocodile-attacks-philippines|access-date=2021-04-26|website=the Guardian|language=en}} However, disagreement and speculation grew after Lolong's capture that an even larger alleged 24–29 ft (7.3–8.8 m) crocodile, nicknamed 'Potol' was responsible for the attacks. However, Lolong was also the primary suspect in the disappearance of water buffaloes in the known area. During the examination of the stomach contents after his capture, no human remains or remnants of water buffaloes reported missing before Lolong's capture were found.{{cite news|last=Morella|first=Cecil|title=Philippines catches 'largest crocodile on record|url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/09/06/11/philippines%C2%A0catches-largest-crocodile-record|access-date=23 June 2012|work=ABS-CBN News|date=6 January 2021|agency=Agence France-Presse}}
The nongovernmental organization activist Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc., with the cooperation of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, had urged the local government of Bunawan to return Lolong to the creek of barangay Nueva Era, where the giant reptile was captured.{{Cite web|date=2011-09-10|title=Activists want 20-foot croc released in Philippines|url=https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2011/sep/10/activists-want-20-foot-croc-released-phillipines/|access-date=2021-04-26|website=Arkansas Online|language=en}} But, in an ongoing debate, Bunawan mayor Edwin "Cox" Elorde and residents of the barangay opposed the crocodile's release, arguing that Lolong would threaten individuals living in the vicinity of the creek.
Name
The crocodile was named after Ernesto "Lolong" Goloran Coñate as one of the veteran crocodile hunters from the Palawan Crocodile and Wildlife Reservation Center, who led the hunt.{{cite news|last=Anda|first=Redempto D.|title='Lolong,' the crocodile hunter|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/56141/%E2%80%98lolong%E2%80%99-the-crocodile-hunter|access-date=23 June 2012|publisher=Inquirer News|date=10 September 2011|work=Inquirer Southern Luzon}} After weeks of stalking, the hunt for Lolong took its toll on Coñate's health. He died of a heart attack several days before the crocodile was captured.{{cite news |last1=R. Ocampo |first1=Ambeth |title=Luha ng buwaya |url=https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer-1109/20130227/281689727226250 |access-date=4 July 2020 |work=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=27 February 2013}}
Captivity and display
Bunawan made Lolong the centerpiece of an ecotourism park for species found in the marshlands near the township. Mayor Elorde said, "We will take care of this crocodile because this will boost our tourism and we know it can help in terms of town's income and jobs to our village communities."{{cite news |title=World's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity dies in the Philippines |url=https://metro.co.uk/2013/02/10/worlds-largest-saltwater-crocodile-in-captivity-dies-in-the-philippines-3400933/ |access-date=23 February 2020 |agency=Metro News |publisher=metro.co.uk |date=10 February 2013}}
The giant crocodile was kept in an enclosure in the Bunawan Ecopark and Wildlife Reservation Center in Barangay Consuelo located 8 km from town. The exhibit was opened to the public on 17 September 2011, after permission was received from the Palawan Wildlife and Conservation Center. The Bunawan Municipal Council subsequently passed an ordinance regulating and imposing fees on gate entrance, parking, and other fees at the eco-park where the celebrity giant crocodile resided in captivity.{{Citation needed|date= January 2020}}
The ecopark charged a P20 entrance fee for adults and P15 for children, which supported the park's maintenance and procurement of Lolong's food.{{cite news|title='Lolong' eco-park opens to public |url= http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/09/17/11/lolong-eco-park-opens-public |access-date=23 June 2012 |work=ABS-CBN News|date=17 September 2011}} The Bunawan Ecopark also incurred expenses for electricity, maintenance, and other incidental expenses, such as installation of CCTV cameras. According to Bunawan Mayor Elorde, up to 26 October 2011, the celebrity crocodile had already earned nearly half million pesos in donations, entrance fees, and parking fees, with a daily income of about P10,000 that month.{{cite news| title='Lolong's' Bunawan eco-park earns P500,000|url=http://www.mb.com.ph/node/339183/lolong|access-date=23 June 2012 |work=Manila Bulletin|date=27 October 2011}}
Record holder
In June 2012, six months after Australian zoologist and crocodile expert Dr. Adam Britton gathered measurements, Lolong was officially certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the "world's largest crocodile in captivity" at {{convert|6.17|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}.{{cite web | url = http://crocodilian.blogspot.com/2012/06/lolong-officially-worlds-largest.html | title = Lolong officially the world's largest crocodile in captivity | access-date = 26 June 2012 | last = Britton | first = Adam | publisher = Croc Blog | date = 23 June 2012 | archive-date = 18 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131218183151/http://crocodilian.blogspot.com/2012/06/lolong-officially-worlds-largest.html | url-status = dead }}{{cite web | url = http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/9000/largest-crocodile-in-captivity | title = Largest crocodile in captivity | publisher = Guinness World Records| date = 23 June 2012}}{{cite web | url = http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120702-biggest-crocodile-lolong-guinness-world-records-animals-science/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120705045329/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120702-biggest-crocodile-lolong-guinness-world-records-animals-science/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = 5 July 2012 | title = Giant Crocodile Breaks Size Record—Suspected in Fatal Attacks | work = National Geographic| date = 23 June 2012}} Experts from the National Geographic Channel found that Lolong had broken the record of the previous record-holder: a {{convert|5.48|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}} male saltwater crocodile named Cassius kept in the crocodile park of MarineLand Melanesia in Queensland, Australia.
The certification was read in public during Bunawan's annual local festival, Araw Ng Bunawan (Bunawan Day).{{cite news|work=ABS-CBN News|title='Lolong' is biggest captured croc – Guinness|url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/06/22/12/lolong-largest-captured-croc-%E2%80%93-guinness|access-date=23 June 2012|publisher=ABS-CBN Corporationnews.com|date=23 June 2012|archive-date=8 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208132212/http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/06/22/12/lolong-largest-captured-croc-%E2%80%93-guinness|url-status=dead}}
Bunawan Ecopark and Research Center plans
Bunawan Media Affairs Coordinator Welinda Asis-Elorde said the local government unit, through a private-public partnership project, will be embarking on a P200-million site development project for the Bunawan Ecopark and Research Center. {{Citation needed|date= January 2020}}
"You have more than 5,000 crocodiles, some of them are giants bigger even than Lolong at Agusan Marsh here in Bunawan, therefore we need a longer plan for more visitors to come and visit this homeland of the giants. We are embarking on this P200-million project now and for future generations", she said. {{Citation needed|date= January 2020}}
Bunawan Municipal Planning & Development Officer Robert Floyd Salise, told PNA in an interview that the project will include the construction of cottages, lodging houses or inns, swimming pools, an amphitheatre, laboratory and research center, souvenir shops, pavilion, and other amenities.
Death and storage of remains
File:Remains of Lolong at the National Museum of Natural History (Manila), 2025 (01).jpg skin of Lolong at National Museum of the Philippines{{Cite news|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/992214/lolong-back-as-star-at-natl-museum-of-natural-history|title='Lolong' back as star at Nat'l Museum of Natural History|last=Gascon|first=Melvin|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|language=en|access-date=2019-09-22}}]]
Lolong was found dead inside his compound at around 8:00{{nbsp}}p.m. on 10 February 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk/blog/_archives/2013/02/16/lolong-largest-saltwater-crocodile-in-captivity-is-dead.html|title="Lolong" Largest Saltwater Crocodile in Captivity is Dead|website=Everything Dinosaur Blog|date=16 February 2013 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-22}} The necropsy revealed he had died of pneumonia and cardiac arrest, which was aggravated by a fungal infection and stress.[http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/295730/news/regions/pneumonia-stress-contributed-to-lolong-s-death-initial-study-shows "Pneumonia, stress contributed to Lolong's death, initial study shows"]. GMA News Online (20 February 2013).{{Cite news|url=https://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/07/19/985501/national-museum-agusan-execs-agree-preserve-lolongs-remains|title=National Museum, Agusan execs agree to preserve Lolong's remains|work=The Philippine Star|access-date=2019-09-22}}
File:Preserved_bones_of_Lolong_at_Philippine_National_Museum.jpg{{Cite news|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/294871/news/nation/lolong-buried-in-agusan-sur-bones-to-be-exhumed-for-museum/|title=Lolong buried in Agusan Sur; bones to be exhumed for museum|work=GMA News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-22}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/photos/36256|title=Lolong's skeleton on display at Museum of Natural History|last=Pablo|first=Jayrome |website=Philippine News Agency|access-date=2019-09-22}}]]
In 2017, Lolong's stuffed remains were transported to the National Museum of Natural History in Manila,{{cite web|url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/classified-odd/06/23/17/look-lolong-moves-to-new-home-in-national-museum-of-natural-history |title=LOOK: 'Lolong' moves to new home in National Museum of Natural History |website=ABS-CBN |access-date=14 April 2025}} where it has been on display since its opening in 2018.{{cite web|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/992214/lolong-back-as-star-at-natl-museum-of-natural-history |title=‘Lolong’ back as star at Nat’l Museum of Natural History |last=Gascon |first=Melvin |website=Philippine Daily Inquirer |access-date=14 April 2025}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline}}
{{National Museum of the Philippines}}
Category:Animal world record holders
Category:Individual crocodiles
Category:Deaths from pneumonia in the Philippines
Category:2011 in the Philippines
Category:2013 in the Philippines
Category:Individual animals in the Philippines
Category:Individual taxidermy exhibits