Lolong, the largest Indo-Pacific crocodile on record, died on Feb. 10, 2013. The reasons for its death can only be speculated, pending the official report of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) that was due yesterday. This column is somewhat speculative. I am writing it to elicit reactions and suggestions from fellow herpetologists and crocodile keepers.
One possible reason for the death of Lolong is that it was not able to recover fully from the residual effects caused by its capture on Sept. 3, 2011 at the Agusan Marsh.
If this is correct, then better methods of capturing large crocodiles should be developed by crocodile specialists.
One possible method is to use chemical substances that can be fired from a gun and injected into an animal at a certain distance to temporarily disable them, such as those used by park rangers to catch large mammals.
Immobilized crocodiles can then be handled gently to avoid too much trauma and disturbance on the part of the animal.
Another reason is that the pen in which it was placed was too small, and contained shallow water. Lolong could not perform its normal activities that it used do in the wild, such as swimming and other movements.
A more suitable and natural habitat would have probably helped it recover more fully from the trauma it suffered during the capture process, thereby becoming more adapted to the new habitat conditions in its pen.
Some aspects of the behavioral ecology of crocodiles would probably have helped in keeping Lolong alive today.
Unlike the Philippine Crocodile, which is a “loner,” the Indo-Pacific Crocodile is a gregarious species. Many individuals appear to get along together in sharing the same space or resource. The implication is that captive Indo-Pacific crocodiles will probably be better off in company with other smaller individuals of the species.
Finally, if we think deeply about it, Lolong had become a prominent member of threatened Philippine biodiversity prior to its death. As such, it should have been given a place to live in Agusan Marsh, where it existed for many decades before its capture.
A win-win solution would have been to limit the area for human activity to areas not frequented by crocodiles, and to allow Lolong free access to certain areas where it could hunt for its food.
There are a number of places in the country where people and crocodiles co-exist. In fact, in Agusan Marsh, there are people who have been living side by side with crocodiles with no reported human fatality. Conflicts between crocodiles and humans occur only in instances where people intrude into crocodile habitats.
The premature death of Lolong should remind people the need for understanding the ecology of crocodiles as members of Philippine biodiversity. Government policy should take this into account.
It is time to discard the notion that crocodiles should be eliminated because they are human predators. People should consider the role of crocodiles in the productivity of aquatic ecosystems resulting in improved fisheries, and the contributions of crocodiles to human welfare.
