How a Northern Philippine Town Learned to Live with the World's Rarest Crocodile In 1999, researchers made a chance discovery in northern Luzon: a small population of Philippine crocodiles still existed in the wild.
This finding sparked a new wave of conservation efforts, which have not only protected this critically endangered species but also restored its cultural significance.
The Philippine crocodile was once considered an "anito" or guardian of a parallel underwater world by indigenous communities in northern Luzon.