Following his capture, in September 2011, the largest saltwater crocodile named Lolong suffered from so much stress that by February 2013, he was found in his Philippines enclosure upside down with a bloated stomach.

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Internet users have expressed their sadness at the crocodile's death, whom Guinness World Records in 2012 declared at 21 feet and 157st.

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An image of a man poking the mighty beast with a stick while he was still alive has recently been shared on Subreddit, Interestingasf*** and captioned: “Lolong was the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity. He died because of fungal infection and stress over two years of being captured.”

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Reports of Lolong’s death at the time stated he was initially hunted for three weeks after killing at least one person in the Philippines.

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The animal had been suspected of eating a fisherman who went missing in the town of Bunawan and also of a 12-Year-Old whose head had been found two years earlier.

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When he was captured, Lolong became the center of attention at an eco-tourism park. Edwin Elorde, Bunawan Mayor, reportedly claimed the animal had been ill for several weeks before his passing. He told Philippine Daily Inquirer Newspaper that Lolong had refused to eat since last month and they noticed a change in the color of his faeces. “Our personal also noticed an unusual ballooning of the reptile’s belly.”

Local Vet Alex Collantes admitted unseasonably cold weather could have brought about the downward spiral in Lolong’s health.

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In an interview with BBC News, Mr. Elorde equally shared that he hoped Lolong’s body could be preserved so “people can still look and marvel at him,” and thankfully, this has actually happened. A Redditor has since attested to the mentioned above, saying: “His remains are displayed at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila.

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Another who had visited the corpse added: “Went to see it when I was there some years ago. It’s very big. Sort of like seeing a dinosaur recreation. Except you know... these things still live.”

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However, what struck a chord was how bad Lolong’s condition must have been to mentally and physically break such a tough animal. One Redditor wrote: “Even more depressing when you realize just how incredible a crocodile’s immune system is. They can live in really nasty water and be absolutely fine.”