A Philippine village is shedding crocodile tears for its most famous inhabitant.
Lolong, who earned the title as the world’s largest croc in captivity last year, died Sunday night after he was found flipped over in his cage with a bloated stomach.
“I’m really depressed,” Edwin Cox Elorde, the mayor of Bunawan in the southern Philippines, told The Associated Press. “I’ve come to love that crocodile. It had brought fame to our town and the Philippines.”
Lolong, believed to be more than 50 years old, fell ill after swallowing a nylon cord about three weeks ago. He was left with nonstop diahrrea, The Philippine Star reported.
An autopsy is expected Monday to determine the cause of death.
The saltwater crocodile was captured in September 2011, and declared the largest in captivity after Guinness World Records measured him last summer at nearly 21 feet and weighing more than a ton.
While Lolong filled locals in this bucolic town of 37,000 with fear after reported attacks against humans, he was also celebrated as a source of pride.
Tourists flocked to catch a glimpse of the strapping reptile, who was housed in an eco-tourism park.
“Big money came in, and villagers also had several livelihoods in the area,” government official Arman Gomez told the Manila Bulletin.
Elorde, who reportedly cradled the colossal creature in his arms before he died, said he wants to see Lolong's carcass preserved for future generations.
“I’d like them to see the crocodile that broke a world record and put our town on the map,” he told the AP.
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