Necropsy fails to determine cause of Lolong's death

The world's largest crocodile in captivity, Lolong, who died Sunday night, will undergo another exam after the necropsy failed to determine the cause of its death. In a phone interview with GMA News Online, Dr. Steven Toledo of the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (PWRCC) said the findings from the necropsy were inconclusive and a histopathologic examination — or the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease — is needed to determine any abnormalities Lolong's tissues. Toledo said veterinarians and crocodile experts from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of Department of Environment and Natural Resources and PWRCC did the necropsy from 1 a.m. until 7:45 a.m. Tuesday. He said tissue samples from Lolong will be brought to the UP Los Baños laboratory for examination. "Tatagal siguro ng two weeks. Tomorrow siguro or the next day mage-extract ng tissue [from the crocodile] na dadalhin sa UP Los Baños," Toledo said when asked on how long the process will take. Earlier, veterinarian Dr. Alex Collantes of the Davao Crocodile Park in Davao City, who went to Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur to check on the crocodile at the request of its caretakers, said the crocodile turned belly up with a bloated stomach hours before its death at 8:12 p.m. Sunday. Collantes admitted that on his last visit to Lolong last January 31, he noticed something different in its eating habit and temperature. "In terms of physical, wala kang mapapansin," he said. "Though isa sa mga napapansing sigurado ay hindi na siya gaano kumakain then ang temperatura niya mababa talaga." He said the change of temperature in their area after Typhoon Pablo hit the region last December has affected Lolong. "Totoo pong nagkaroon o mayroong malaking pagbabago sa temperatura dito sa pinaglagyan ng buwaya," Collantes said. "Since malayo-layo sa comfort zone ng buwaya, isa pa iyon sa tinitignan though hindi pa natin iyon ma-finalize." Collantes also said that crocodiles as large as Lolong could go for months without eating. "Ang buwaya, hindi naman siya kumakain, nakaka-survive siya kahit ilang buwang walang kain," he said. — Amanda Fernandez/KBK, GMA News