12:54pm UK, Tuesday September 06, 2011

A one-ton saltwater crocodile, believed to be the biggest ever caught alive, has been captured in the Philippines.

The seizure of the 21ft crocodile follows a spate of fatal attacks in the southern part of the country, in the town of Bunawan.

The reptile, weighing 2,370lb (1,075kg), is suspected of eating a farmer who went missing in July, and of killing a 12-year-old girl whose head was bitten off two years ago, according to wildlife official Rollie Sumiller.

The croc hunters started out trying to get him last month by laying bait using chicken, pork and dog meat but the giant crocodile evaded capture by simply biting off both the meat and the line on which it was skewered.

The croc in his new home, safely away from the public

Eventually, a heavy metal cable proved beyond the power of its jaws, and the beast was subdued in a creek at the weekend with the help of about 30 local men.

Beyond the mark of the hook inside its upper jaw, the crocodile did not appear to have any long-term damage, Rollie Sumiller said.

The hunter examined the crocodile's stomach contents after forcing it to be sick but there was no trace of human remains or of several water buffaloes also reported missing by locals.

"The community was relieved," Mr Sumiller,adding: "We're not really sure if this is the man-eater, because there have been other sightings of other crocodiles in the area."

The crocodile is not going to be destroyed but will instead be housed in a nature park where it will go on display.

The crocodile tightly bound up after being captured

The beast is thought to be the biggest crocodile ever captured anywhere in the world, said environmental spokeswoman Josefina de Leon.

The Philippines specimen easily dwarfs the largest captive saltwater crocodile, which the Guinness World Records website lists as Cassius, an 18ft male which lives at an Australian nature park.

Press reports also describe other huge crocs including a 20ft-plus adult male killed in Papua New Guinea in 1982 that was measured after it was skinned.