8-foot crocodile escapes from zoo after flooding in Kidapawan

(Lakbay Pilipinas.com)

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InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

KIDAPAWAN CITY, COTABATO, Philiippines -– An eight-foot crocodile raised in captivity in a mini-zoo here was able to escape after a heavy flooding Saturday, a tourism official said.

Marife Pame, head of the tourism and investment promotions of the Kidapawan City government, said they only knew the crocodile was on the loose after a regular check and cleanup inside the mini-zoo on Saturday noon.

The zoo and park is located at Landmark, one of the tourist destinations of the city.

The heavy rains, which caused flooding in some parts of the city and nearby town, started Friday night and continued until the next morning.

Armand Carcallas, zoo caretaker, said the crocodile destroyed the cyclone wire and fled to the Saguing River, which is just few feet away from the mini-zoo.

The Saguing River is one of the longest and biggest rivers in North Cotabato.

City Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco has ordered the manhunt and promised to give cash rewards to those who could bring the predator back to the zoo, one of the tourist attractions.

Pame has already sought help of the police, forest rangers, soldiers, and rescue groups to track the crocodile down.

Although the crocodile, tamed in a zoo, is not as ‘fierce’ as those in the wild, still, city officials have warned people, especially those living near the rivers, to be extremely careful. 

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