Super-sized Croc Captured in Phillipines

Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde of Bunawan Township Emphasizes the Crocodile's Mammoth Proportions

After eluding capture for three weeks, Bunawan township villagers and experts from a crocodile farm in Palawan province finally caught their prey Saturday night, September 3rd.  Several people witnessed the enormous creature attack and kill a water buffalo in August, and locals also suspect that the same reptile is responsible for a fisherman who disappeared in July.  Township Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde joined the hunt and told the Associated Press by phone, "We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers.  When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes."

Elorde explained that the croc destroyed four traps set by hunters, so they used sturdier traps that had steel cables.  Eventually, the monster succumbed to one of those traps.  The crocodile weighed 2,370 pounds (1075 kilos) and measured 21 feet (6.4 meters) in length.  Around 100 people combined strength to pull the it from the creek and take it to a clearing, where a crane was used to lift it into a truck.  Super Croc now resides in a fenced area in Augusan del Sur province, where Bunawan township is located.

Curious readers might wonder why the captors want the crocodile alive.  Mayor Elorde explained that they propose "to turn a threat into an asset."  The village is planning an ecotourism park in the area in hopes of bringing prosperity to the impoverished region southeast of Manila.  "It will be the star of the park," said Elorde.  The park will also display other species found in the marshland where the crocodile resided. 

Ham on Wry wishes Augusan province and the villagers of Bunawan township great success on their venture, but suggests they proceed with caution.  If one crocodile that size exists, what other giant creatures might also roam the area?  It seems like the care and feeding of the one species they already have could be dangerous and expensive.  Mayor Elorde might have to tweak the budget a bit until the park opens.