Lolong- World's Largest Crocodile is Dead

Lolong- World's Largest Crocodile dies on February 10, 2013. The 21-foot, 1,075-kilogram saltwater crocodile passed away at 8:12 p.m., GMA News reports.

Lolong was captured in September 2011. It was named after crocodile hunter Ernesto “Lolong” Cañete, who died of a heart attack at the height of the search for the large aquatic tetrapod.

The GMA report said a necropsy will be performed on the giant crocodile to know why it’s dead.

A February 11, 2013, press release from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources:

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Monday sent a team of veterinarians and biological experts to Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, to help determine the cause of death of Lolong, considered the largest crocodile in the world.
Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Ramon J.P. Paje said the team is composed of representatives from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) and the National Museum, who will make sure that Lolong’s skin will be preserved later on.
“The team will help ensure that the necropsy would be carried out in a manner that would make it possible to contribute Lolong’s remains to taxidermy,” Paje said.
He also said that the PAWB has been in close coordination with Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde and representatives of the National Geographic Channel (NGC) on the necropsy. NGC’s crocodile specialist Dr. Adam Britton had been the one to officially measure Lolong at 6.17 meters (20.24 feet) to have the latter awarded in mid-2012 the Guinness World Record for being the largest living crocodile in captivity.
Paje said Lolong’s death is a significant loss to the DENR and the country’s crocodile conservation program, for which Lolong was considered an “ambassador” to help educate people on the importance of crocodiles in the natural web of life between predators and prey.
The environment chief added it was unfortunate that Lolong died in February, which the environment sector celebrates as National Wetlands Month, as wetlands are the natural habitat of crocodiles.
Lolong died past 8 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, in his pen at the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center due to a still undetermined cause.
Lolong was a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) captured at the Magsagangsang River in Bunawan in September 2011, following an attack of livestock and the reported killing of a 12-year-old girl in Lake Mihaba in 2009.