After being accused of eating a fisherman and a schoolgirl, the world’s largest saltwater crocodile died of ‘stress.’
Lolong, a 21-foot-long lizard, was named the world’s largest of its kind in captivity by Guinness World Records in 2012.
The crocodile was supposed to have eaten a fisherman who inexplicably vanished from Bunawan, Philippines, before being captured.
According to The Daily Star, he is also suspected of biting a 12-year-old girl’s head off and eating her body two years ago.
Lolong was pursued for three weeks after killing at least one person.
The beast, which weighed almost a ton, was eventually captured and became the star attraction of a tourism park.
However, two years of being caged and locked up eventually led to his death.
Lolong was snapped upside down with a bloated stomach and Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde said he had been ill for several weeks before his passing.
The Mayor told the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper: “He refused to eat since last month and we noticed a change in the colour of his faeces.
“Our personnel also noticed an unusual ballooning of the reptile’s belly.”
Local vet Alex Collantes claimed unseasonably cold weather could have brought about the downward spiral in Lolong’s health, BBC News reported.
Lolong would eventually die in February 2013 of a fungal infection and the stresses of being in captivity for so long.
A sickening picture emerged on a Reddit community ‘Interestingasf***’ showing the once mighty animal being poked by a stick when it was immobile on its back.
The snap reignited interest in the croc’s sad story.
The distressing image was captioned: “‘Lolong’ was the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity. He died because of ‘fungal infection’ and ‘stress’ two years after being captured.”
The local mayor said he hoped that Lolong’s body would be preserved so “people can still look and marvel at him” and that’s what happened.
Lolong now rests in the National Museum of Natural History in Manila, where his giant preserved body requires 18 men to move around.
One user who had visited the corpse said: “Went to see it when I was there some years ago. Its very, very big. Sort of like seeing a dinosaur recreation. Except you know.. these things still live.”
What really struck a chord with those in the social media thread was how bad Lolong’s conditions must have been to mentally and physically break such an animal.
People suggested that the crocodile’s story belonged in the community’s sister page depressingasf***.
One Reddit user wrote: “Even more depressing when you realise just how incredible a crocodiles immune system is. They can live in really nasty water and be absolutely fine.
“The level of filth they must have had this one in for it to die from an infection… it must have been literally sitting in its own s*** for 2 years.”
A couple of people saw his torturous final years in captivity as the lesser of two evils given Lolong’s alleged crimes.
“He ate two people which is why they hunted and captured him. At least they didn’t kill him outright which often happens with animals suspected of preying on people,” someone said.
This article by Kieran Williams was first published by The Mirror on 21 February 2022. Lead Image: Lolong’s tragic tale was recently shared on Reddit, reigniting interest in the killer croc ( Image: AFP via Getty Images).
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