About 100 people had to pull the crocodile to a clearing'It was big enough to swallow three men all at once,' says local mayor
It weighs one ton and is believed
responsible for eating at least one fisherman, but this monster
crocodile has finally been caught by 100 very cautious men.
Measuring 21ft from snout to tail, the massive creature is the largest crocodile captured alive in recent years.
The
beast was caught, after a three-week hunt, in a creek in the
Philippines by villagers who had lived in fear of it for more than 20
years.
Its nearest rival in
the monster stakes is Cassius, an Australian salt-water crocodile which
measures a 'mere' 18ft - and which is still on the loose in the
Northern Territory.
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| Posing: One of the heavily armed captors touches the beast for the camera | | |
'We were very nervous about tackling
this beast but it was our duty to deal with it because it was a threat
to many villagers and their farm animals,' said the local mayor, Mr
Edwin Elorde.
'When I finally saw it after its capture I couldn't believe my eyes.
'It was big enough to swallow three men all at once.'
The operation to capture the croc - which has yet to be named - was set in place after it was seen in a creek.
Villagers set four net traps, which the crocodile destroyed with a mighty snap of its jaws.
So the second time around the villagers used traps made of steel cables and this time the animal failed to get away.
At
least 100 men were required to pull the huge reptile on to the banks of
the creek where, after a great deal of difficulty, it was bound up and
then lifted by crane on to the back of a truck.
They
weren't going to let the victory pass without having their photo taken,
so many of the villagers posed beside their scaly captive before it was
driven off to a confined area.
Despite the suspected death of the fisherman, the crocodile is destined for fame.
It is expected to be the star attraction at a new eco-tourism park that is being set up in Agusan.
'It will be the biggest star of the park,' said Mr Elorde.
'The
villagers, of course, are very happy that they have been able to turn
this dangerous crocodile from a threat into an asset.'
But the 37,000 people who live in the region have been told not to rest on their laurels.
Many other large crocodiles remain in the rivers and people have been told not to venture into marsh areas alone at night.
The Philippine crocodile's domain was a
river system in Agusan, a poverty-stricken region 500 miles south east
of Manila, but while it was a constant threat to villagers no one was
brave enough to try to capture it.
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Price haul: Residents use their hands to measure the 21ft salt-water crocodile
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Giant catch: Mayor Cox Elorde of Bunawan township, Agusan del Sur
Province, pretends to measure a huge crocodile which was captured by
residents and crocodile farm staff along a creek in Bunawan
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Long tail: Dozens of local residents gather around the animal, which is believed to have killed a fisherman
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However, when a village fisherman went missing and the crocodile became the chief suspect, plans were hatched to catch it.
It
was placed under observation and when it was witnessed by several
villagers killing a water buffalo they knew their suspicions were right.
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