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Activists in the Philippines demanded this weekend that a giant crocodile captured last week be freed. The animal rights activists said the crocodile,which measures 21 feet and weighs 2,370 pounds, should be released back into the wild, reports the Associated Press. The mayor of the town, however, says freeing the crocodile would put the community's safety at risk and should remain in an eco-tourism park.
The male reptile was caught last week after a 21-day hunt in the southern province of Agusan del Sur, Nine MSN reports. Wildlife officers had set traps after residents reported a series of attacks in the area. The operation involved 70 hunters, according to the Guardian.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said that if the saltwater crocodile, nicknamed Lolong, is not freed it will develop abnormal behaviors and could threaten the lives of visitors to the park, AP states.
"It's clear that the promoters of this park are thinking only of their bank balance, without so much as an afterthought for the animal's well-being," said Ashley Fruno of PETA.
Read: Tiger caught in deadly love triangle.
"(The government) should do the compassionate thing and order this crocodile to be returned to his natural habitat, as taking him away to be locked up in an animal prison is just plain wrong," she wrote to AFP.
The mayor of the township, Edwin Cox Elorde, argues that the crocodile could kill one of the 1,300 residents who fish in the area. He insisted that the crocodile was captured to save both the area's residents and the reptile.
The crocodile is thought to be the largest in captivity.
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Free them on the PETA's backyard, lets see how they like it.
that would chjange their minds....
Excellent!
Spot On, Aurora!
It's easy to sya "Free the thing", when your children are not expected to live near it!
@Aurora you're an idiot. they live in that part of the world, so they kind of have to deal with those dangers no matter what they do. one crocodile captured, how many hundreds more in the area do you think? this isnt going to save anyone any kind of trouble, and is only going to make the zoo keepers money. idiot
Do you get the sarcasm?? Idiot...
Don't be such an idiot, idiot.
Makes me want to fry up some furry little critter and have it with potatoes and gravy.
Yum. Corcodile stew...
It sounds like you don't know much about gators, crocs, or nature. Millions of US residents live near gators. Come to South Florida. They're on every golf course and in many peoples' back yards.
"21 feet and weighs 2,370 pounds", I wouldn't want to be anywhere near this crocodile.
Exactly! That's why people should be taught to avoid the area of these creatures. Just because we like to fish and swim doesn't mean we should take out anything in the area that can harm us.
Oh Lord! PETA freaks again. Check the internet for their corporate records, to see how many dogs and cats they kill each and every year. These people are NOT the friends of animals they pretend to be. I wouldn't give them a dime. Go ahead CNN ban my comment. But these are verifiable facts, that even CNN's own reporters have commented on.
Ron speaks the truth.
I am a proud PETA member. PETA doesn't deny that in cases it is better to euthanize an animal than to have it suffer. However, PETA IS in the business of protecting animal rights. You really don't know what you're talking about. And, you know it too.
In....... "cases" you say? 86 percent of every animal PETA takes in is euthanized. Then in the same breath they have the audacity to tell these people shame on them for not letting this 21 foot carnivore play with their children?
Yea. And, and you know that he knows that he knows it! and I know that you know that he knows that he knows it........
... and so are you. The only relevant word in your rant that even came close to being factual was 'deny', as in 'denial'; and you are mired to the hubs in denial. Seek help, oh self-righteous one.
Yes, PETA cares about the dignity of animals and will choose human euthanization over captivity and abuse. And once that's done, they'll just dump the carcass in a trash dumpster. After all, dignity of animal is only while it's alive.
(One of the first news breaks about PETA's euthanization policy came to light after a massive amount of dead animals were found in a dumpster near PETA)
"humane" not "human" but PETA given a chance just might.... Just... Might...
Right on, Ron. PETA is nuts. It should be banned as a terrorist organisation.
I think it should be put down. The crocodile killed a 12 year old girl by eating her head. Killed a farmer and his cattle as well. If a dog bites a person, they are put down...but if a giant croc kills a few people...no harm no foul, lock it up...right?
animals belong in the wild. period. end of story. it's not up to us to play G-d and dictate where this gator shld live. This is nature. It's all around us. We have to deal with storms, hurricanes= there are tons of things out there that are destructive but tons of things that are beautiful. We need to respect nature and stop trying to control it. Would you like to be ripped from your home and put in captivity! Let's be reasonable, leave the gator alone and release it bk in the wild! poor thing, must be so stressed and scared!!!!
Humans are part of nature and have the right to protect their community from predators. A social grouping of animals will drive off or kill a predator that threatens them (ie. chimpanzees and dolphins work to kill or drive of predators). The only "unnatural" thing here is that people have the mental capacity to choose a different course rather than killing the predator that threatens their community.
Animals belong on my back and in my belly. You are a fool.
Human beings outnumber rats on the planet. Human beings are now as vermin infesting the planet. The biomass of humanity is too large now. We have far outgrown the ability of the planet to support us.
No animal is safe now nor has any right to live its life out in its native ecology. Humans are destroying it all. We're living in a mass extinction now. That will take care of the problem of overpopulation.
Are you saying that if a water buffalo had a 12 gauge autoloader loaded with slugs when he's attacked by this croc, it would just say, "Aw screw it, it's circle of life" and roll over and die?
sambam, shut up. Do you have children? Close relatives, or friends? Would you be singing the same tune if one of them happened to unknowingly be in the path of this crocodile? If you had no choice but to live around this animal, wouldn't you feel safer knowing it wouldn't be able to EAT YOUR HEAD?? Bottom line, this animal is not more important than a human being. You should be happy it is in captivity and not dead like it should be. Moron.
Maybe PETA could try to convert the CROC into a vegan....
THey could just feed the croc a steady diet of vegetarians. I hear the california species of vegetarian is quite delicious but not very smart so they are easy to capture
Kibbles-N-Hippes!
Darn it, I can't find anywhere to 'LIKE' your comment... here ya go – LIKE!
The croc should be put down. It's a danger. Too bad the people are encroaching on it's territory, but that is life.
Jenna, it is a danger to what? It's a Crocodile and they eat other animals. That's simply what they do. I'd love to see it released into the lake at NYC Central Park for the summer but oh well, dreams are just wonderful.
Make sure you include people in the "other animals" category
First of all there are many salt water crocs in the waters off the Philippines and without performing an autopsy or analysing the excrement, there is no real evidence that this beast is responsible (solely or jointly) for the recent spate of attacks. The speculation that is currently (as so often) being passed for fact, is frankly not helpful to this discussion.
Ok, so looking at the matter objectively, I have to say if the animal had been caught in a first-world, civilised country with a better track record in animal (and human) welfare, then I'd be more strongly in support of keeping it in captivity.
Of course I don't see any great sense in releasing the animal anywhere that is likely to pose a continuing risk to human life, however when I heard that it had been caught in the Philippines my first thought was "oh, that poor crocodile!". It is, in my opinion, only slightly better than being caught in Thailand or China (where it would almost certainly have bypassed the TV cameras and gone straight to the nearest restaurant).
This may be the closest I have ever come to agreeing with those lunatics in PETA, but ultimately I'd still say that in the absence of a proper safe release scheme with sufficiently remote alternative habitats, continued captivity is probably the sensible choice. I have no doubt, however, that in the minds of the local authorities the profit to be gained from this record-breaking trophy is the real motivating force behind their decision-making.
Tom let it go at your house. You seem to know very little about you conversation. I have been in the southeast asis area and the crocodiles I saw are far better off than the ones in American alligator farms.
It won't last long in captivity under the primitive conditions it's being kept in. Crocs die of stress very easily. There are plenty more where it came from and the likelyhood of that particular Croc being the one responsible for any particular attack is remote. Locals reportedly saw an even larger one in the same area just days after this ones capture.
Tom, EF you! It's always easy to comment about "civility" and "standards" from your arm chair thousands of miles away, you don't know what's going on, what condition the croc is in, how dangerous it is or not, and let the people who actually have a vested interest deal with and shut up!
Hey Tom,
Are you calling urself (U.S.) to be more civilized, where you have plenty of parks in which the apex predator has been completely wiped out many decades ago and now you guys are having fun in killing the deers in those parks in the name of population control.
If this model should be applied to the uncivilized country, then crocs should not have been roaming in it waters, leave alone letting the croc grow to 21 feet.
No. We don't just kill deer for 'population control'. We kill them for sausage, steak, hamburgers (Should that be deer-burgers?) Soup bones, yum! They are deelicious!!!
The Croc should not be killed and it is the peoples choose to take it from the water it could be dangerous to their lives. No one likes to see such a great animal be pulled from where it has survived so long. But trust me there is enough deer to hunt and not be a problem. where I live you almost hit four or five coming home from work every night.
The Croc should not be killed and it is the peoples choice to take it from the water it could be dangerous to their lives. No one likes to see such a great animal be pulled from where it has survived so long. But trust me there is enough deer to hunt and not be a problem. where I live you almost hit four or five coming home from work every night.
I don't think your "objective" argument is very objective at all. Also, you misspelled Civilized.
Thanks for proving yourself a complete idiot. Your senseless rant has been the best laugh of the day, but when all is said and done, nobody cares about your rambling analyzation.
That thing killed several people, a number of cattle, and who knows what else. If a dog bites a person, it is put down. This thing needs to be turned into luggage.
If they released this croc, every croc hunter around would be after him to catch him and he probably would not be treated/taken so humanely. Unfortunatly, keeping him in captivity may be for his own good.
Someone needs to form an organization to oppose PETA, a group named something like "People Against Being Eaten by Giant Lizards."
There is ... it's called "People Eating Tastey Animals".
Nice.
I think they should have a big 'ole barbeque in the town where he was caught!
I think it should be released in your backyard.
Yeah, why don't we just kill and cage every other living thing on this planet. We're supreme as human beings, right? Ought to be an AWESOME planet then. I don't belong to PETA and don't agree with many of the things they do, but most of you people are clueless Neanderthals.
Well that does it; being called a "Neanderthal" by this obviously enlightened and highly intelligent legend in his own mind Bryan made me see the error of my ways. Let the animal go, we Neanderthals have no right to this earth, it belongs to any creature that inhabits it other than us. Thanks for making that clear; just time to give it up. Wow, how did you ever develop your brain and intellect to this unbelievably advanced point; we should all bow to you for the unabashed wisdom you present. All hail Bryan.
Calling people names is probably not the best way to get people to consider your point of view
Yeah, Bryan with a "Y" is an idiot...
Sounds like somebody has a yeast infection. No desert for you young man.
You've been hanging out with Neanderthals yet AGAIN? Won't you ever learn? Even they can't seem to teach you.
No, no, no, Bryan. We cage first, fatten THEN kill. Some we like to let run so we can shoot them. FUN!
I doubt he would feel this way if it were in his back yard. Get a life people.
Hey peta how about we release all of the rattlesnakes in zoos, they can stay in your yard free and alive.
So what if they are trying to make a few pesos off the croc? It is disgusting for a western organization to criticize such a poor nation for trying to make money. Go to Manila and see kids in the streets begging, selling their bodies. I put people before crocs. Shoot me, PETA.
The original story I read on this mentioned the locals believe this crocodile is responsible for at least one missing fisherman, and that witnesses saw it bring down a full grown water buffalo, posing a threat to both life and livelihood of people. Would PETA prefer an impoverished local kill the crocodile for its hide after it is released? I've been vegetarian for 27 years and still think PETA's hardline dogma is full of crap.
Agusan river in the Philippines is where the biggest croc in the world. I heard about them long time ago since I was a boy. Just think when riding in a banca (fisherman's boat) they swim along beside your boat, one slap at your boat your done, dinner time. This latest capture is so far the biggest. I'll keep it for the record. Maybe they can make a movie say "Jaws 21".
I belong "PETP" (People for the Ethical Treatment of People). I think they should release the gater and put in the house of the Head of PETA.
Um, it's a Croc not a gator. Just saying.
Yeah! Because People are great! People brought us the Holocaust! People brought us Global Warming! People brought us nuclear weapons! People brought us wars in the name of the invisible space god! People are the BEST! Up with People!!
@JJ....are you still in elementary school? Kind of sounds like it.
I'll buy me that croc and ride it in a rodeo! yee-haw!
Boy I wonder what Steve Irwin would do with that beauty?
Crickey! I just just grabbed it's tallywhacker and now it's mad!
As long as the activists agree to work side by side with the villagers and fisherman in the area they release the croc in; there should not be any issue. OK activist group; the sign up sheet is waiting for you.
that thing is freaking huge
That's what she done said.
Let's leave your mom out of this.
Sure...and when it is released and it kills someone...then the activists will say that it is doing that because of it's nature...I like the mayor's idea myself...activists can be so stupid all the time...
Only "can be"? How about ARE...
Develop abnormal behaviors that could cause a safety risk? These PETA folks are dumb as a bag of rocks. Left in the wild it's normal behaviors are a safety threat much more so than if it's in a pen.
All previous posters: "Yeap, that there croc killed someone cause i read about it on the inter-web" -really people?!
Yes Thomas, really. You probably believe that the earth is flat too. It would figure.
crocodiles is ornery because they have all them teeth and no toothbrush
I'm King Solomon. I order that the crocodile be cut in half. Release the head portion into the wild to shut PETA up and keep the tail portion in a cage.
Keep the tail portion in a cage? And waste all of that tasty meat? Get outta town; no way.
feed it to any indigent locals
Many options here... the town should have a vote on it; cook out, luggage, captive or just sit back until it BITES YOU!
Do the right thing!
Make shoes, belts & breifcases from it's hide.
Let this crocodile eat people! Animals are so so cute and these mexicans who captured the crocodile are not!
Sounds to me like this beast needs to be bred, and his offpsring released into the sewers of NYC to eat the 4' rats.
I say feed it endangered animals until it dies from being too fat. Then have a cookout.
I say eat it.
The Croc is another Ghadafi and its captivity is essential to save Philippines people. Very unfortunate no ICC to pursue its arrest. Thanks to the NATO-like Philippines who acted swiftly to avert further killing of innocent people. Give it Life imprisonment.
I think the name lolong should be replaced with Croc-Ghadafi. Simple.
Some things to think about concerning this one. First, with the size like that he has the ability to take larger animals (yes, even humans). For those who think that no one can be sure if this if the "right" one, take a look at the trail he left on the shore, it is much wider. Lastly, for every person that thinks putting a killer away is a shame, what do we do with humans who kill others? No one "goes free" when they kill someone else. They even are sentenced to death at times. Some people who contribute have never been near an animal that is capable to taking their life. They see it as a "poor creature". They are wrong and would be "dead" wrong if they made that choice.
We as humans are top of the food chain, period !! This world is survival of the fittest and as an apparent threat to human lives needs to be dealt with !! So would you PETA members rather him 'suffer' in captivity or be put to death ??
I AM A HUMAN BEING> but most importantly. I Am an American human being. WHat does thisd mean? IT MEANS I can easilly beat that croc up with my fists. I Am an American and i have conquered the moon. THAt crock is just like the europeans and canadians, it can barely conquer a puddle of water, much less the moon.
PETA could buy the Crocodile from them, I know they can afford it. They could hold another one of those nude supermodel events to fund it. PETA needs to arrange for the transportation of the animal to a place it won't threaten humans.
One local Philippine newspaper is reporting that this croc may be the reincarnation of Steve Irwin. They claim the proof lies in the crocs Australian accent, and the fact that the croc can't speak a dime of Tagalog.
Is PETA planning to kill the crocodile, like they do (by their own admission) with the vast majority of the dogs and cats they "rescue"?
I'm all about animal rights but that thing is just too dammed big to be running around on the loose. He could just take you down boat and all in one little bite. Whats the big deal they're not talking about killing him.
Free him or put him in a wildlife sanctuary with a big lagoon. The poor thing is an historical anomaly. I'm so sick of people who always want to KILL every form of wildlife that happens to be doing what wild animals do.
Amnesty for Croc Ghadafi? No! No way! Kil it or give it Life jail-absolute captivity.PETA, Croc-Ghadafi is on its way to your terittory. Please be professional enough and accept it on humanitarian ground.Turn it to your household pet and let's see who kill it first.
One thing about opinions, they tend to come from people who have no real idea about what they are talking about. After reading many of these comments I feel like making an attempt at providing some information. To start with, I have been around crocs and gators. That animal is magnificent, however also clearly a dangerous animal to those living in the animal's territory. Now while some of you would say something to the effect of "tough, it's their choice to live there" or something similar, I'll point out that just as easily they could have decided to kill it. If It was me, born in that area, living there, and I had children that needed to use the water sources where that animal hunts, it would be perfectly human to kill that threat to my offspring. Did you know that despite the size of that animal it could hide less than 3' from you in shallow water and take you out before you knew it?
Make no mistake, a Croc that size eats what it wants. It is an ambush predator and will stay near shore out of sight waiting for a prey animal to come and drink. Human, buffalo, it doesn't matter. At 21' long that animal will take whatever it grabs and drag it back into the water. It is a considerably different fear than dealing with a say , 13' long one.
Yes, I'm sure somebody is seeing dollar signs with placing that animal in a park. Considering how many would just kill it, they should still be praised for the effort of catching it, removing it, and not killing it. Instead somebody is screaming "put it back in the wild". If that was my village, where I lived, and had kids, and somebody on the other side of the world said 'put it back" I'd have some choice words for them.
For some dweeb from PETA to protest it, just highlights how they try to force their beliefs on others. Hopefully the animal will do well in it's new surroundings, they are quite resilient when in their natural climate.
I would kill anything as well if my children were threatened at that moment. But saying it does well in it's natural climate doesn't mean this is it's natural habitat. If they want to keep it then a swamp must be created in the size and length this create needs to survive as though it were free. Then this would be a good study at how lang it can actually live.
I don't think keeping it for show and tell at a zoo will benefit anyone except the greed of the keepers. I realize the threat but many more still exist in the same area. No one has proven this has killed. Scientist can also put a tracking device on it and warn people to stay out of the area for a month to study it's path. Then maybe they can make a better decision on not only how to educate the public but also how to care for the creature in captivity.
I think we should let the Dallas Police Department deal with he croc!
If you go where the crocodiles go prepare to be their dinner.
Turn it loose in New York City. Beauty and the Crocodile.
I dont think it should be set free....in order to get that size it has to be pretty old. I think we should study it and learn more from it. They are some of the last remaining "dinosaurs" so to speak so a chance to study a giant is one that shouldnt be wasted.
I hear they taste like chicken. Start chanting!
Gabe you do make a good point. Just because the animal is bigger doesn't mean it's more or less of a threat. I am concerned about the human life of any wild animal. In our part of the world we have black bears and fishers, coyote and other wild animals. I know to keep my children out of areas the animals would be prone to be prevalent. This animal is nt more likley to feed on humans because it's larger. It really doesn't matter what size animal your killed or eaten by. It's educating yourself and your children that keeps you alive.
Where do you work? In an office or some other designated bear free environment? But what if your job was to gather mushrooms in the forest that's thick with bears? Even with education and common sense, it's an unacceptable risk. You probably won't have as many "bring your kids to work" days if that were the case. People fish for food and income in that part of the world. And they don't do it in 150 ft steel ships with cranes and diesel engines and floodlights. If you're on the water in one of their little canoes and that crocs decides he wants to eat you, you're food.
And bigger is slower, and slower makes less efficient predator. And in crocs, bigger almost always translates into older and older often translates into medical ailments. That's basically the recipe for maneater. Look it up.
hey guys
call AUSTRALIA ZOO THEY ARE THE EXPERTS. EVERYTHING HAS A RIGHT TO LIVE. LET HIM GO HE IS A BIG GORGEOUS CROC. I LOVE HIM. WE ARE TAKING THEIR HABITAT AND IT STINKS. LEAVE HIM ALONE!
I'm sure they'll let you pet him if you want. Only $5 and legal waiver. You might want to pet him with your off-hand though.
Crocodiles after they reach a certain size and age can become too bulky and slow to catch many of their natural prey, and in an inhabited area, can turn to human as food. You have to understand that they are in large part ambush predators that rely on stealth and quick burst. Additionally, crocs in advance age can suffer health issues that can further erode their hunting ability. In many cases where predators turn to human as food supply, the predators were later found to be suffering from health issues. So it was absolutely the right decision to remove this croc from vicinity of people.
What say them republicans?
I'd love to have a full set of luggage made out of that bad boy. Hell, you could make 2 full sets!
Did the reporter said "A vietnamese village in the Philippines"? This Crocodile was caught in Agusan Del Sur, Philippoines, nowhere near Vietnam.
They have a lot more in this town and some are even bigger than the one they caught. Imagine a Croc that eats and swallows a water buffalo. That's big.
If every animal problem in every part of the world was solved and every animal was living with full health and happiness, PETA would still find something to complain about. It's not about a principle, it's about keeping the crusade going.