Crocodile suspected of killing fisherman caught in Palawan

A 13.7-feet saltwater crocodile suspected of having attacked and eaten a fisherman was caught in Barangay Rio Tuba in Bataraza, Palawan early Monday morning.

Experts from the Palawan Crocodile Farm and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development caught the saltwater crocodile (scientific name Crocodylus porosus) at 5:00 a.m. on Monday, Kara David reported on GMA News TV' "News To Go." The report said it took more than 10 men to carry the crocodile, which had to be tied and blindfolded lest it become aggressive when it sees humans. In June, a fisherman named Edwin Lucero went missing in the municipality of Bataraza in Palawan. Members of the community believe Lucero was eaten by a crocodile. The crocodile, weighing about 300 to 400 kilos, will be brought to the Palawan Crocodile Farm, where experts will try to induce vomiting to see if the crocodile has human tissues inside its stomach. This will determine if this particular crocodile did eat the missing fisherman. The Crocodylus porosus is the world's largest reptile. Setting up trap Members of the Palawan Crocodile Farm and Council for Sustainable Development had set up the trap at Rio Tuba village in Bataraza town four days earlier. The report quoted crocodile experts as saying that after devouring a man in the village, the crocodile was liable to return there to hunt for other food, such as pigs, chickens and even humans.
However, it also said the crocodile may have been forced to leave its natural habitat, a mangrove area, since local residents damaged it. It also said the crocodile is not likely to be returned to Rio Tuba as it is not endangered. Experts said the crocodile will probably be kept at the farm for breeding, the report said. — with Candice Montenegro, VVP/HS, GMA News