Government sends experts to determine Lolong’s death

MANILA (Updated) -- A team of veterinarians and biological experts are in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur on Monday to conduct a necropsy that would shed light on the sudden death of Lolong, known worldwide as the largest crocodile in captivity.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the team is composed of representatives from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) and the National Museum, who will make sure that Lolong's skin will be preserved later on.

He added that the PAWB has been coordinating with Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde and representatives of the National Geographic Channel (NGC) on the necropsy.

It was NGC crocodile specialist Adam Britton who took Lolong's measurement of 6.17 meters (20.24 feet), which entered the Guinness Book of World Records last year.

Lolong's death in its pen at the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center coincided with the celebration of the National Wetlands Month as wetlands are the natural home of crocodiles.

Lolong, which weighed a ton, was a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) captured at the Magsagangsang River in Bunawan in September 2011, following an attack of livestock and the reported killing of a 12-year-old girl in Lake Mihaba in 2009. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)