Giant croc Lolong now frozen and forgotten

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – How quickly people forget.

The celebrity of Lolong, the world’s largest crocodile held in captivity, has apparently faded, with its frozen remains unclaimed after five months in storage at the Davao Crocodile Park.

After the 6.12-meter saltwater crocodile died in its pen in Consuelo village in Bunawan town last February, there were plans for the preservation of its remains, to be placed inside a museum in the town.

Despite plans for a joint undertaking between the local government of Bunawan and the National Museum for the preservation of the remains, the reptile has been kept for five months inside two freezers at the Davao Crocodile Park, with its head separate from its body.

Phillip Dizon, proprietor of the Davao Crocodile Park, told The STAR that Lolong’s remains were brought to the park for safekeeping two months before the May 13 elections as a power outage prevailing in Bunawan for long hours would destroy the crocodile’s remains.

Dizon said he has been trying to make an arrangement for a possible shared custody of the remains and for both the local government and the National Museum to perform the taxidermy process.

Taxidermy, he added, is a complicated process, that is why he urges the local government and the National Museum to do it soon so that the remains could still be preserved properly.

Yesterday, Dizon appealed both to the local government of Bunawan and National Museum officials to make arrangements for the preservation of Lolong’s remains.

“I am appealing to the authorities and to local government of Bunawan to please take custody of Lolong and already make the necessary process for its preservation that would last for a long time,” Dizon said.

He also brushed aside speculation that lack of money could be the reason why Lolong’s remains have been left unclaimed at the park.