Philippines' giant crocodile breaks fast in captivity

Oct 4, 2011, 7:47 GMT

Manila - The largest recorded saltwater crocodile in the Philippines has eaten its first meal in captivity, nearly one month after he was captured, a local official said Tuesday.

The 6.4-metre reptile ate seven kilos of raw pork Monday evening in a wildlife park in Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur province, 840 kilometres south of Manila, according to Welinda Asis-Elorde, a local government spokeswoman.

The 1-ton croc, nicknamed Lolong, had been refusing to eat since he was caught in a marsh in Bunawan on September 3.

Animal rights groups had expressed concern that Lolong's refusal to eat could be an indication that he was traumatized by the capture.

Asis-Elorde said workers at the wildlife park would again try to feed Lolong on Tuesday evening.

'Maybe he's not yet full,' she said. 'We will feed him dressed chicken tonight.'

Lolong was captured after he was suspected of eating a local man who went missing in July and killing a 12-year-old girl whose head was bitten in 2009.

The Guinness Book of World Records is scheduled to dispatch a team to Bunawan to verify if Lolong is the world's largest saltwater crocodile.

The current world record is held by Cassius, an Australian saltwater crocodile measuring 5.48 metres.