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Lolong Dead: World's Largest Crocodile In Captivity Dies In Philippines (PHOTOS)

So Long, Lolong: World's Largest Crocodile In Captivity Dies
Sara C Nelson
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A one-ton crocodile who was declared the largest in captivity has died in a Philippines eco-tourism park.

Giant reptile Lolong was captured by residents of Bunawan in 2011 and quickly became a tourist magnet for the town.

But he was declared dead on Sunday after experiencing stomach bloating and diarrhea, the Associated Press reports.

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Saltwater crocodile Lolong died on Sunday

Bunawan mayor Edwin Elorde told the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper Lolong had been unwell for several weeks.

He said: "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."

Elorde is even reported to have cradled the weakened crocodile in his arms during its last hours. (Er, really?!)

The Manila Bulletin quotes government official Arman Gomez as saying: "We are saddened by the death of Lolong.

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"Big money came in and villagers also had several livelihoods in the area."

While an autopsy is set to be carried out on the near 21-foot long animal, there are reports Lolong became ill after swallowing a nylon cord, triggering chronic diarrhea.

Lolong had been blamed for the deaths of a water buffalo and a missing fisherman and was hauled in after a three-week hunt.

The crocodile was placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town then built an ecotourism park for species found in a vast marshland in Agusan, an impoverished region about 500 miles from Manila.

In 2011 The Guinness World Records officially declared him the world's largest crocodile in captivity, at 20.24 feet or 6.17 meters long and weighing 2,370 pounds or 1.075 kilograms.

World's Largest Crocodile Dies
(01 of18)
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FILE-In this Sept. 4, 2011 file photo, residents watch as Mayor Cox Elorde of Bunawan township, Agusan del Sur province, pretends to measure a huge crocodile, later named "Lolong," after its capture by residents and staff of a crocodile farm along a creek in Bunawan in southern Philippines. The saltwater male crocodile, measuring 20.24 feet (6.17 meters) and proclaimed by Guinness World Records as the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity, died Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. (AP Photo/File) (credit:AP)
(02 of18)
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In this photo taken Sept. 4, 2011 photo, residents gather around a huge crocodile, later named "Lolong," following its capture by residents and crocodile farm staff along a creek in Bunawan township, Agusan Del Sur province in southern Philippines. The 1-ton crocodile, measuring 20.24 feet (6.17 meters) and proclaimed by Guinness World Records as the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity, died Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. (AP Photo) (credit:AP)
(03 of18)
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FILE - In this Sunday Sept. 4, 2011 file photo, police and residents pose with a huge crocodile, later named "Lolong," following its capture by residents and crocodile farm staff along a creek in Bunawan township, Agusan Del Sur province in southern Philippines. The 1-ton crocodile, measuring 20.24 feet (6.17 meters) and proclaimed by Guinness World Records as the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity, died Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. (AP Photo/File) (credit:AP)
(04 of18)
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FILE- In this Sept. 6, 2011 photo, "Lolong," the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity according to the Guinness World Records, rests in his pen, two days after being captured by residents and staff of a crocodile farm along a creek in Bunawan township, Agusan Del Sur province in southern Philippines. The saltwater male crocodile, measuring 20.24 feet (6.17 meters) died Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. (AP Photo/File) (credit:AP)
(05 of18)
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FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011 file photo, a Philippine National Police officer stands next to a giant saltwater crocodile which was captured by residents and crocodile farm staff along a creek in Bunawan town, Agusan Del Sur province, southern Philippines. Guinness World Records has declared Sunday, July 1, 2012 that the huge crocodile blamed for deadly attacks is the largest in captivity in the world. Guinness spokeswoman Anne-Lise Rouse says the saltwater crocodile nicknamed "Lolong" measured 6.17 meters (20.24 feet) and weighed more than a ton. (AP Photo/File) (credit:AP)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRON(06 of18)
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TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-ANIMAL-CROCODILE, FEATURE by Jason Gutierrez In this photo taken on September 21, 2011, Lolong, a one-tonne (6.4-metre) 21-foot crocodile believed to be the biggest to have ever been caught, is seen in a caged pen in the southern Philippine town of Bunawan. Deep inside the Philippines' largest marshland, tribespeople who once revered crocodiles as mystical creatures say they now feel terrorised by them. AFP PHOTO / JAY DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRON(07 of18)
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TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-ANIMAL-CROCODILE, FEATURE by Jason Gutierrez In this photo taken on September 21, 2011, Lolong, a one-tonne (6.4-metre) 21-foot crocodile believed to be the biggest to have ever been caught, is seen in a caged pen in the southern Philippine town of Bunawan. Deep inside the Philippines' largest marshland, tribespeople who once revered crocodiles as mystical creatures say they now feel terrorised by them. AFP PHOTO / JAY DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRON(08 of18)
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TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-ANIMAL-CROCODILE, FEATURE by Jason Gutierrez In this photo taken on September 21, 2011, residents from nearby towns watch Lolong, a one-tonne (6.4-metre) 21-foot crocodile believed to be the biggest to have ever been caught, in a caged pen in the southern Philippine town of Bunawan. Deep inside the Philippines' largest marshland, tribespeople who once revered crocodiles as mystical creatures say they now feel terrorised by them. AFP PHOTO / JAY DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRON(09 of18)
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TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-ANIMAL-CROCODILE, FEATURE by Jason Gutierrez In this photo taken on September 21, 2011, Lolong, a one-tonne (6.4-metre) 21-foot crocodile believed to be the biggest to have ever been caught, is seen in a caged pen in the southern Philippine town of Bunawan. Deep inside the Philippines' largest marshland, tribespeople who once revered crocodiles as mystical creatures say they now feel terrorised by them. AFP PHOTO / JAY DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRON(10 of18)
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TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-ANIMAL-CROCODILE, FEATURE by Jason Gutierrez In this photo taken on September 21, 2011, Lolong, a one-tonne (6.4-metre) 21-foot crocodile believed to be the biggest to have ever been caught, is seen in a caged pen in the southern Philippine town of Bunawan. Deep inside the Philippines' largest marshland, tribespeople who once revered crocodiles as mystical creatures say they now feel terrorised by them. AFP PHOTO / JAY DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(11 of18)
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Residents from neighboring towns try to take a glimpse of a giant saltwater crocodile in its temporary cage at the remote village of Consuelo in Bunawan township, Agusan Del Sur province, southern Philippines, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. The 6.1-meter (20-foot) saltwater crocodile, now named "Lolong," was captured last Saturday by villagers and veteran hunters in the creeks of the remote region. The crocodile, weighing 1,075 kilograms (2,370 pounds), was the biggest to be caught alive in the Philippines in recent years. Wildlife officials were trying to confirm whether it was the largest such catch in the world, said Theresa Mundita Lim of the government's Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau. (AP Photo) (credit:AP)
In a picture taken on September 17, 2011(12 of18)
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In a picture taken on September 17, 2011 Lolong, the 21-foot (6.4-metre) male saltwater crocodile, rests in his enclosure in Bunawan in the southern Philippines. The monster crocodile which is reputedly the world's largest is the star attraction at its own nature park which opened in the Philippines this weekend, weeks after the beast's capture. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRON(13 of18)
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TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-ANIMAL-CROCODILE, FEATURE by Jason Gutierrez In this photo taken on September 21, 2011, Lolong, a one-tonne (6.4-metre) 21-foot crocodile believed to be the biggest to have ever been caught, is seen in a caged pen in the southern Philippine town of Bunawan. Deep inside the Philippines' largest marshland, tribespeople who once revered crocodiles as mystical creatures say they now feel terrorised by them. AFP PHOTO / JAY DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-ANIMAL-CROCODILE-OFFBEAT(14 of18)
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A worker puts ice blocks at the remains of the 6.17 metre long saltwater crocodile named 'Lolong' on February 11, 2013, in the town of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur province on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. The world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity has died in the southern Philippines, 17 months after it was captured and displayed in a small pond, his caretakers said February 11. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
In a picture taken on September 17, 2011(15 of18)
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In a picture taken on September 17, 2011 a caretaker looks at Lolong, the 21-foot (6.4-metre) male saltwater crocodile, at his enclosure in Bunawan in the southern Philippines. The monster crocodile which is reputedly the world's largest is the star attraction at its own nature park which opened in the Philippines this weekend, weeks after the beast's capture. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(16 of18)
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A saltwater crocodile swims in a shallow pond inside its temporary cage at the remote village of Consuelo, in Bunawan township, Agusan Del Sur province in southern Philippines, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. The 6.1-meter (20-foot) saltwater crocodile, now named "Lolong," was captured last Saturday by villagers and veteran hunters in the creeks of the remote region. The crocodile, weighing 1,075 kilograms (2,370 pounds), was the biggest to be caught alive in the Philippines in recent years. Wildlife officials were trying to confirm whether it was the largest such catch in the world, said Theresa Mundita Lim of the government's Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau. (AP Photo) (credit:AP)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRON(17 of18)
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TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-ANIMAL-CROCODILE, FEATURE by Jason Gutierrez In this photo taken on September 21, 2011, Lolong, a one-tonne (6.4-metre) 21-foot crocodile believed to be the biggest to have ever been caught, is seen in a caged pen in the southern Philippine town of Bunawan. Deep inside the Philippines' largest marshland, tribespeople who once revered crocodiles as mystical creatures say they now feel terrorised by them. AFP PHOTO / JAY DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRON(18 of18)
Open Image Modal
TO GO WITH AFP STORY PHILIPPINES-ENVIRONMENT-ANIMAL-CROCODILE, FEATURE by Jason Gutierrez In this photo taken on September 21, 2011, Lolong, a one-tonne (6.4-metre) 21-foot crocodile believed to be the biggest to have ever been caught, is seen in a caged pen in the southern Philippine town of Bunawan. Deep inside the Philippines' largest marshland, tribespeople who once revered crocodiles as mystical creatures say they now feel terrorised by them. AFP PHOTO / JAY DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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