Lolong, the world’s largest crocodile in captivity until he died earlier this month, may have died of pneumonia and stress, the Philippine Star reported Thursday.
Citing a preliminary report by a team of veterinarians and biologists that examined Lolong’s remains, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the 20.4-foot long crocodile “had late-stage pneumonia and cardiac failure at the time of its death.” A more detailed necropsy report will be released within two weeks.
Lolong, captured in the Agusan Marsh in September 2011, had been kept in a pen in Bunawan town, Agusan del Sur as a tourist attraction.
According to a report of his death on February 10, Lolong had been refusing to eat since January. Keepers also noticed an unusual ballooning in his belly.
Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau director Theresa Mundita Lim, also on Thursday, said DENR experts found lesions in Lolong’s heart, lung, kidney, and intestines. “Findings indicate that there could have been a chronic infection that may have been aggravated by stress,” Lim said.
It is not clear whether that stress was caused by living in captivity, and by repeated jokes that Lolong would feel more at home with his relatives in Congress.
