‘Hostaged’ croc to be returned to marsh

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines – The 2.9-meter crocodile captured by fishermen in Barangay Dungguan in Liguasan Marsh last week will be returned to the marsh, the local government of Mlang town said yesterday.

The crocodile, now named Malang, is still being treated for severe dehydration after the fishermen tied it to a tree for several days without food and water.

“Once we get clearance from attending veterinarians, we shall set it free, release it into the marsh for it to thrive there undisturbed,” said Mlang town Mayor Joselito Piñol.

The planned release of the crocodile is being coordinated with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), he added.

The Philippines has two crocodile species: the Philippine freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) which is endemic to the country, and the Indo-Pacific crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) which is widely distributed throughout the tropical areas of Asia and the Pacific regions.

Malang could be the second largest Philippine freshwater crocodile ever caught in Central Mindanao, according to wildlife experts from the DENR’s provincial office.

In 1994, Moro fishermen in Maguindanao’s Pagalungan town caught a bigger crocodile, about 14 feet long, at Kalbugan District in the same municipality, the gateway to the Liguasan delta.

The marsh, which teems with endemic fish, reptile and bird species, is touted as the world’s largest and said to have huge deposits of natural gas.

Barangay Dungguan is located in the northeastern side of the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Marsh at the tri-boundary of Central Mindanao’s adjoining provinces of North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat.