Fisherman captures 12-foot croc that destroyed his fish pen in North Cotabato

KABACAN, North
Cotabato (Feb. 9) – For destroying his fish pens, a fisherman in Barangay
Cuyapon here, was fed up and captured a 12-foot freshwater crocodile on Tuesday
night.

Using traditional
methods of capturing reptiles, Mamangkas Babay Mangatong and his friends
waited for the crocodile until 10 p.m. when it again showed up, barged inside
his fish pen and ate his tilapia and other fresh water species.

A huge nylon
rope with fish and chicken lured the crocodile back to his fish pen. As soon as the reptile’s head glided toward
the rope, Mangatong and his friends pulled the crocodile to the dry land.
Village chair
Ernesto Bigsan of Barangay Cuyapon said the crocodile (Crocodylus Mindorensis) had
repeatedly entered fish pens like a thief in the night in the village’s marshy
area, destroying thousands worth of fish cages.

Mangatong
turned over the captured reptile to municipal environment office personnel and
Kabacan Mayor Gerlo Guzman of Kabacan who in turn handed over the reptile to
the custody of the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade in Carmen town.

University of
Southern Philippines (USM) Professor Cayetano Pomares, an expert in Crocodile
Wildlife, said the 602nd brigade camp is ideal place for custody of the
captured reptile since it has huge cage for huge animals.

Environment
officials said the reptile will be sent back to its habitat in due time.

It was the
second time Mangatong captured a crocodile. Last year, he also captured an
8-feet crocodile in the same area last year.

The freshwater
crocodile that can only be found in the Philippines is endangered and its
population continues to decline, according Municipal Environment Officer
Gerardo Laoagan. Image may contain one or more people and shoes sand//scontent.fmnl4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16684379_1611042965588781_1918555415111200603_n.jpg?oh=b7d606c3e6bb18cd1974e3c764d8d4f3andampoe=5942A1E2