INQUIRER FILE PHOTO<\/p><\/div>\n

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — An eight-foot long female crocodile that supposedly escaped from its cage in a mini zoo in Kidapawan City following a flashflood there on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Marife Pame, chair of the Kidapawan City Tourism and Investment Promotions, said in a radio interview that the caretaker of the mini-zoo learned of the “missing” crocodile only during a regular check and cleanup on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The crocodile, having been in captivity for some time, is expected to have a hard time adjusting in the wild but is still dangerous to unsuspecting villagers, according to Pame.<\/p>\n

The croc is one of the attractions at the zoo and park located at The Landmark, a tourist spot in Kidapawan City.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, a heavy downpour triggered the Saguing River to overflow.<\/p>\n

The mini zoo is located beside the river.<\/p>\n

Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco urged village officials and residents living near the river to report any sighting of the crocodile to the authorities and leave its capture to the experts.<\/p>\n

Pame said she already sought the help of police and rescue groups to help locate the crocodile which she described as tamed in the zoo but remains dangerous.<\/p>\n

Officials fear the crocodile may have escaped through the river and could end up in Liguasan marshland in Maguindanao. The marshland is known to be the habitat of wild crocodiles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An eight-foot long female crocodile that supposedly escaped from its cage in a mini zoo in Kidapawan City following a flashflood there on Saturday. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":200589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,46],"tags":[41955,206081,1386,4205],"byline":[207],"source":[206070],"column":[],"editor":[],"videographer":[],"position":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n