Philippine giant croc captured after three-week hunt Published duration 6 September 2011

media caption The one-tonne crocodile caught in the Philippines

A giant saltwater crocodile weighing more than a tonne has been captured in a remote southern Philippine village following a series of attacks on humans and animals, officials said.

Measuring 6.4m (21ft) and weighing 1,075kg (2,370lb), it is the biggest to be caught alive in the Philippines in recent years.

It may also be the biggest specimen ever captured, officials said.

Saltwater crocodiles can live for more than 100 years and grow to 23ft (7m).

Josefina de Leon, wildlife division chief of the environment ministry's protected areas and wildlife bureau, said it was likely to be the biggest crocodile ever captured.

"Based on existing records, the largest that had been captured previously was 5.48m (18ft) long," she told AFP.

"This is the biggest animal that I've handled in 20 years of trapping."

The hunt for the crocodile in the village of Bunawan began in mid-August and it took dozens of local men to secure its capture on Saturday.

But crocodile hunter Rollie Sumiller, who led the hunt, said this reptile may not be the killer they have been looking for after at least one attack on a human was reported in the area.

"We're not really sure if this is the man-eater, because there have been other sightings of other crocodiles in the area," he told AFP.

The captured croc will now become the main attraction at a planned nature park in the area.