Manila: Authorities in Palawan, Philippines, are investigating the possibility that a huge male saltwater crocodile is behind the recent death of a fisherman in the island of Balabac.
The 33-year-old fisherman, Cornelio Bonete, was last seen alive on November 28.
Two days later, his remains surfaced in a nearby marshland with bite marks from a large animal.
His right arm was torn off as well as his left foot.
Officials suspect a huge crocodile was behind the attack, as these are not uncommon in those parts of Palawan.
A team from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) and the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre (PWRCC) headed to Balabac to locate and capture the problem crocodile and prevent the possibility of further attacks on the people.
Reports reaching Manila said that on Sunday, a huge 4.75-metre saltwater crocodile was caught in the municipality using goat meat as bait.
According to Jovic Fabello, PCSD spokesman, the crocodile was named “Singko” which is Filipino for the number “five.”
Saying there was no evidence the crocodile was the culprit in the killing of Bonete, PWRCC director Ronie BGandeza said the captive reptile would undergo stomach flushing to determine if indeed it was behind the attack.
“We will quarantine it and then it will undergo gastric lavage, so it can rest already. The people there are really angry now. They said if it is not extracted, they will kill it with dynamite,” Gandeza was quoted as saying by the state-run Philippine News Agency.
He said they will assess in the coming weeks if “Singko” could serve as breeder for the PWRCC.
Singko is reportedly among the biggest salt water crocodiles to be caught in Palawan.
Gandeza said because of the killing of Bonete, people could vent their ire on “Singko.”
He said the crocodile will not be returned to Balabac, but will be taken to Puerto Princesa City where the PWRCC keeps captive animals in safe enclosures.
While Singko is big, it is not so huge compared to “Lolong” — holder of the Guinness record for world’s the biggest saltwater crocodile — caught in the wild at 6.7 metres.
In early 2013, residents in Bunawan in Southern Philippines’ Agusan del Sur mounted a hunt for a large crocodile suspected to be behind attacks on humans and animals in the area.
In February of that year, Lolong was caught by trappers. The reptile died several days on February 10 after suffering stress from captivity.
Lolong’s skeleton has since been put on display at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila.
