A juvenile saltwater crocodile rescued in Barangay San Jose in Puerto Princesa City has raised questions about whether it had been illegally kept in captivity or from the wild before its discovery.
The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), which measures 2.5 feet was spotted on the night of May 27 by barangay watchmen (tanods) patrolling Purok Bagong Pag-asa.
San Jose barangay captain Jennifer “Dods” Trinidad said it was the first time a crocodile had been seen in their area.
“First time lang namin makakita ng buwaya sa barangay namin kaya medyo nagulat kami. Medyo malapit kasi ‘yung area sa may mga bakawan,” Trinidad told Palawan News.
The barangay captain added that the crocodile was immediately secured and turned over to the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (PWRCC) the following day.
The initial report estimated the crocodile’s age at just one and half months old. But Rainier Manalo, program director of Crocodylus Porosus Philippines (CPP) said the animal was clearly older.
“Definitely the age of crocodile is more than one year [old]. Not 1.5 months as reported earlier,” Manalo said in an interview with Palawan News.
“Kaya hindi natin masabi kung wild or held captive yung individual,” he added, pointing out the need for further verification.
Even if the presence of mangroves near the area might suggest a natural habitat, Manalo clarified that San Jose and its neighboring barangays San Manuel, Tagburos, and Sta. Lourdes, have no known records of wild saltwater crocodiles.
The most recent confirmed sighting of a wild crocodile in Puerto Princesa, he pointed out, was in Barangay Bancao-Bancao in 2024.
The last significant documentation of a large crocodile in the city was in Bacungan River in 1998.
He added that historical crocodile populations have only been documented in areas such as Langogan, Babuyan, Macarascas, Bahile, Abanico, Iwahig, Kamuning, and Inagawan. (with a report from Helen Mae Padrones)
