Giant crocodile trapped in Philippines after 21-day hunt (VIDEO)

GlobalPost

A crocodile measuring 21 feet and weighing 2,370 pounds has been captured alive in the Philippines.

The male reptile was caught after a 21-day hunt in the southern province of Agusan del Sur, Nine MSN reports. Wildlife officers had set traps after residents reported a series of attacks in the area. 

A young girl disappeared in the area in 2010, although it is not known if the trapped crocodile was responsible. The saltwater crocodile may also have eaten a farmer who went missing in July, along with several water buffaloes in the southern town of Bunawan, crocodile hunter Rollie Sumiller reportedly said.

Villagers remain wary of several crocodiles that roam the outskirts of the farming town of about 37,000 people, the AP reports.

However, according to Nine MSN:  

It twice broke from restraining ropes before it was properly secured and it became extremely "aggressive" several times.

About 90 men were needed to pull the crocodile from the river, the Sun Star newspaper reported.

It was one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in the Philippines in recent years.

"We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers," Mayor Cox Elorde of Bunawan township told The Associated Press by telephone. "When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes."

Elorde said the crocodile was set to become the "the biggest star" of an attraction at a planned ecotourism park.

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