Mayor rejects idea to move crocodile

BUNAWAN, Philippines, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The mayor of a town in the Philippines rejected a proposal to move a 1-ton crocodile to a wildlife compound because the mayor has grown attached to the reptile.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje suggested Lolong, the 21-foot crocodile captured last month in Bunawan, be transferred to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife compound in Quezon City, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

"I'm so attached to Lolong. I spend most of my time with the crocodile. I consider him my son now," Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde said Saturday.

Elorde said he would like the crocodile to be a tourist attraction, to include a large park in Bunawan.

"The first phase [of the park's construction] covers at least 20 hectares," Elorde said.

"We are capable of taking care of the crocodile. The provincial government as well as other prominent personalities have promised to help us," he said.

However, the mayor said he recognizes the decision to keep Lolong is ultimately up to the residents of Bunawan.

"I cannot decide on my own. I'm just their representative," Elorde said.

Lolong is currently being held in a fenced-in pond in the village of Consuelo in Bunawan.