Lolong, the world's largest captive crocodile, dies in the Philippines

Residents from nearby towns watch Lolong, a one-ton, 21-foot crocodile believed to be the biggest to have ever been caught, in a caged pen in the southern Philippine town of Bunawan on September 21, 2011. / Getty Images

Updated 11:17 p.m. ET

MANILA, Philippines The world's largest crocodile in captivity, Lolong, has died. Mayor Edwin Elorde of Bulawan, a small town in the southern Philippines that had been home to the giant croc, made the announcement Sunday.

In this photo taken Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011, Mayor Cox Elorde of Bunawan township, Agusan del Sur Province, pretends to measure a huge crocodile which was captured by residents and crocodile farm staff along a creek in Bunawan late Saturday in southern Philippines.

/ AP Photo

There was an immediate outpouring of grief among social media users, with some Filipinos even suggesting that the country declare a national day of mourning in honor of Lolong's memory.

Lolong rose to worldwide fame in September 2011 after a three-week hunt due to a spate of attacks on local residents ended in its capture. The sheer size of Lolong - who measured 20 feet and four inches and weighed an estimated one ton - captivated people all over the world and made it an instant celebrity.

The local government had since kept Lolong in captivity at a wildlife sanctuary in the hopes of boosting tourism, but the hype surrounding the giant reptile - believed to be around 50 years old - had since subsided.

According to a spokesperson from the mayor's office, Lolong swallowed a nylon cord three weeks ago. That's when he started having chronic diarrhea, after which, his stomach started swelling. His official cause of death, however, is still unknown.

[krischermaine]

well...he's kinda old...I mean, they say he's more than 50years...what I last heard on news is that he's more or less 70years

[madmax911772]

for all you bird braines feeling sorry for this munster id like to know if youd feel diferently if this thing was about to eat you

[foo8259]

Indeed, he doesn't look well in the photo. Even at Sea World captive animals can die, but people get to see animals they otherwise would never get a chance to.

[KyLakeGal]

Humans are arrogant but also ignorant. He was captured cause he was attacking local residents. Yes it's pitiful such a majestic creature had to die in captivity but if he'd been left in the wild there is no telling how many people he would have killed. Children, dogs and full grown men were on his menu with his size. We'd love to think creatures like this are still free to roam the earth but with the size of the population where they roam can mean death to them if it's close to humans.

[mesopotamianmon]

Some things are worse than death. I'm sorry he had to suffer in captivity.
Shame on humans.

[gpx21dlr]

Cause of death? How about captivity causing the death.

[esq777]

It's incredibly sad to see animals like this exploited by stupid humans for nothing but entertainment and financial gain.

[JJJESSSEEE1]

ANYONE WHO SAW THE CAPTURE ON TELEVISION SAW A MAJESTIC, HEALTHY CROC IN THE PRIME OF LIFE. HE ALMOST GOT AWAY WHEN THEY WERE TRANSPORTING HIM ON A GIANT WAGON AFTER THEY DRAGGED HIM OUT OF THE RIVER, WHCIH WAS HIS HOME. TOO BAD HE DIDN'T GET AWAY THEN. THEN, AFTER EVEYONE GOT THEIR PICTURE TAKEN WITH HIM ALL TIED UP, THEY STUCK HIM IN THE WILDLIFE REFUGE -WHAT A JOKE. A SMAL CEMENT PEN WITH A TINY POOL OF WATER, NOT EVEN BIG ENOUGH FOR HIM TO SWIM IN. AS THE MEDIA FOLLOWED THE STORY, YOU COULD SEE OVERTIME THAT HIS TEETH WERE GETTING ROTTEN, AND HIS WHOLE BODY WAS BEGINNING TO BECOME SICK. AND NOW HE HAS DIED. DISGUSTING. JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF "CIVILIZED" MAN KILLING EVERYTHING THAT DOESN'T CONFORM TO HIS TWISTED WAY OF LIVING. OVER EXPANSION, CORPORATE DEPENDENCE AND HABITAT DESTRUCTION ARE LEADING US ALL TO THE SAME FATE AS THE CROC.

[dpattan]

Look at the conditions of his POOL. Crazy, he probably killed himself.

[Stevie851]

So they capture him and he lives less than 2 years? What, exactly is good about. Humans are so arrogant, full of hubris and self-absorption - we deserve everything we're going to get in the next fifty years. I'm so happy - I'll be dead long before then.

[micmac666]

People suck.