By Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The 15.6-foot male saltwater crocodile captured over the weekend in Balabac, southern Palawan is now in a wildlife conservation center here.
It was transported to the facility in Barangay Irawan from Barangay Rio Tuba, Bataraza using a boom truck that was borrowed from the provincial government, at about 8 a.m. and arrived at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Temporarily named “Singko”, Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (PWRCC) director Ronie B. Gandeza said the reptile will be kept inside a large pen enclosure in their facility’s “breeder area”.
He said it will join 82 saltwater (Crocodylus porosus) and 173 freshwater (Crocodylus mindorensis) breeder crocodiles in a specially prepared enclosure in the southern portion of the large facility.
“Tinanggalan muna natin ng laman ‘yong isang pen para ma-accommodate siya doon. Para talaga sa malalaking buwaya ‘yong area (We emptied one pen to accommodate him there. The area is really for large crocodiles),” Gandeza said.
He said “Singko” will no longer return to the area where it was captured as its life is already under threat from residents who are wary of another attack.
Ganeza said its health will be checked by veterinarian Terry Aquino, who will also administer the gastric lavage or stomach flushing procedure.
“I-qua-quarantine agad siya then i-ga-gastric lavage para dire-diretso na. ’Yong mga tao kasi talagang galit na. Ang sabi nga nila kung hindi natin i-extract bubumbungin na nila (We will quarantine it and then it will undergo gastric lavage, so it can rest already. The people there are really angry now. They said if it is not extracted, they will kill it with dynamite),” he said.
He said in the next few months, they will assess if “Singko” can be a breeder of the PWRCC.
Ganeza said “Singko” was lured and captured by their PWRCC team that used goat meat in a trapping device. The team was led by crocodile specialist Salvador Guion.
Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) spokesperson Jovic Fabello said the information, if it is the “problem crocodile”, will be disclosed Wednesday in an early morning press conference that will be called by PCSDS.
