フィリピンで世界最大のワニと暮らす

フィリピンで世界最大のワニと暮らす

we’re here already at the march and this is a very big wetland so a protected area because there’s a lot of birds living here and crocodiles and other animals and because it’s a protected area we need to get a permit first from here we’re now gonna take a boat on the river and we’re joined by a woman that is a member of the tribe and she’s called marites that she’s here is the only reason that we can now visit because it’s not allowed to visit without any of the people that are from there is this snake? a very long one wow there’s a lot more ambiance going on here than I expected and the water level is just very close look just I heard that exactly these cages sometimes attract crocodiles might look maybe as if you can walk here and if there’s land but this is just as far as you can see all water we’re arriving here in a village that is very very remote they don’t get that many visitors here and this place belongs to the Manobo tribe the Manobo are one of Mindanao’s oldest indigenous groups traditionally animists they have lived off these wetlands for generations fishing and navigating the swamp by canoe their way of life is deeply tied to the land or in this case the water OK careful hello hi what a beautiful view from here I think they have a system here of uh collecting rainwater from this roof and then they can put it in the tanks there and filter it oh she’s pulling it towards us that’s so easy if you can just pull your house towards you I can jump on there now it’s so weird because this whole platform is moving and now I cannot get on here anymore and now I’m trapped here this is also the place where we will stay tonight it’s very peaceful and calm here what a view this is better than a 5 star hotel we now have to do a ritual and then we put some coins there this ceremony is performed by our hosts to honor their ancestors and as their guests to invoke those ancestors Protection over us each offering on the table speaks to a different spirit gin and beer for the grandfathers Fanta for the children every item carries its own symbolism the candles cast light to guide us the X symbolizes a pure heart and so on at the ritual’s close they carry all those gifts to the Riverbank and release them into the current that’s some alcohol from the offering it’s wine and beer all together cheers but all together must be fine probably in many floating villages houses are built on stilts but here the houses move up and down with the level of the water and depending on the season that can make a difference of up to 10 m this place is also perfect for bird watching oh yeah no it’s good do you swim here yes are you not afraid of the crocodiles then if you swim here no they’re in the deeper parts of the lake there not in shallow waters this is close to the place where in 2,011 the largest crocodile ever was captured alive they named him lolong weighing over a ton and almost seven meters long he was kept in captivity in a concrete enclosure just outside the marsh where he once ruled thousands came to see him he brought tourism but Lolong wouldn’t survive captivity in 2013 less than two years after his capture he died of pneumonia and organ failure and his massive body was preserved stuffed and displayed in a museum do you still see a lot of other big crocodiles here so there’s crocodiles here that are even bigger than Lolong are you not afraid that people swim here and that there would be crocodiles here? do you believe in the spirit of the crocodile that that has an importance did you ever have any attacks from crocodiles here and they they attacked someone in the village? so the crocodile can push over the boat because they preserved the boat that was attacked and that’s a boat like this one do you feel like it’s more difficult than before to fish did you ever see long long when he was still in the water here or when he was in captivity how big is the one you saw that boat as big as this boat yeah I’m definitely never ever ever ever ever ever ever going in this water that’s for sure and then the fisherman had to swim away very quickly and now we’re going in this very small boat that is smaller than the crocodile and definitely lower too not easy to get into I’m so close to the water with my face a crocodile can just do like oh my God haha this is so wiggly oh my God she does it so professional some bubbles coming up here hello he’s making a fishing net? what do you like the most about living on the water so it doesn’t so it doesn’t really go directly to them to spend how important is it that the marches are protected do you ever move your house to a different location they go somewhere else oh that’s very handy just being able to take your house everywhere you go are the waters nowadays also very polluted or not do you worry that you would ever have to move here do you often see crocodiles when you go fishing what did you do afterwards did you have to free the crocodile well he escaped death did he survive? only the leg just one leg where is it actually on the water that you see most of the crocodiles and that’s an area that we can visit or we cannot go there oh they have small puppies here hello meow another one it’s gonna start storming soon okay let’s see if I can get in here without falling see this is also very wobbly that’s a great thing to say right now okay the fishermen were going to place nets and we went with them but the place where they put them also happens to be the place where most crocodiles are at this time of the year there are a lot of water lilies due to fertilizers from the land washing down to the marshes which hinders mobility and fishing for the locals here we get into the more open and also deeper waters so this is where you can find crocodiles how deep is it here my umbrella is my weapon against crocodiles if they come and just put it in his mouth and open it imagine a crocodile attacks the boat now and the boat capsizes what’s the best to do like okay so if they attack we’re just completely fucked in other words why do I always get myself into these situations I’m only just afraid of two animals and that’s crocodiles and spiders and for some reason my followers really like crocodiles oh my God this is really a personal nightmare all these spiders from in the field they crawl inside the boat on me and they’re everywhere so it has this bag with 100 frogs in there I don’t know how he got all these frogs and he’s now putting them on a line so that all the catfish can come and eat those frog and that line is going to span just all along the way back to the village how much do you make on average every month by fishing so make they make twice the minimum wage here OK oh my God I can’t feel my ass anymore we made it safe back to the village and they told me that once they put up the nets with the frogs in there that it often lures the crocodiles there and then since it’s not that far from here the crocodiles also sometimes come here but meanwhile haha right over there the kids are swimming at any other moment I would love to swim but when there’s 7 metre crocodiles in the water I definitely pass push the shark away but does that work with a crocodile I don’t think so what have you created today good morning I had an amazing sleep and that’s partly because of this amazing sleeping mask travelling the world is very fun but it can also be very tiring because you always sleep in different locations and very irregular sleep and that is why we chose to partner with Manta Sleep if you visit their website then you can find a variety of sleep mask for all preferences like a weighted mask for calming pressure or a cooling mask for no puffiness when you wake up but my personal favorite is the Manta Sound a mask with seamless Bluetooth speakers to play your calming white noise for a comforting sleep check out their website in the description and use the code absurdist sleep for a 10% discount on all their products the fisherman has caught some fish in the nets that we put yesterday wow that’s all from yesterday? do they have the frog inside yeah so you eat the frog too so that’s like a catfish filled with frog and before that they didn’t live on the water so they just moved out of necessity for to flee from the war they came here nowadays you are also Catholic but you have animist rituals so how does how does the animist religion influence your religion the people have Learned to live with the seasons and the change of the water levels but their lifestyle is under threat by climate change and pollution nearby mining activity has affected this especially gold mining where mercury is often used to separate the metal from soil the water may look clean but mercury and sediment silently build up in the food chain when Lolong died after living several years in captivity levels of mercury were found in his body highlighting the far stretching pollution of the water do you think the mining has affected the region here a lot how do you look at the future and it’s drying out at the edge of the village there’s a school here why do you think that most children move out is the village shrinking these days like do people leave the village and move somewhere else they’ve quite a modern TV here a 4K TV where does the school gets it’s finances from? I assume that you don’t own this land are you afraid that maybe the government or anyone who’s interested in acquiring this land would one day kick you off here to outsiders it may seem like they’re living on the edge but for them this self sufficient life is enough rich in its own rhythm and quiet resilience yet that life is slipping away rising waters and looming deforestation plans are slowly unraveling a way of living that existed for generations and the question remains how much longer can they hold on sometimes you see them around the lake here just floating around from time to time here we believe that as long as you don’t harm them then they won’t attack you I’m definitely never ever ever ever ever ever ever going in this water in the quiet town of Bunawan Agusan del Sur residents started noticing strange disappearances a fisherman went missing a water buffalo was dragged underwater a little girl’s body was found with her head missing all signs pointed to a massive crocodile one far larger than anyone had ever seen in the region over the course of three weeks local authorities with the help of villagers tracked and trapped the animal when they finally pulled it out of the swamp it measured 6.17 meters long more than 20 feet they named it lolong it became the largest crocodile ever captured alive anywhere in the world but what many don’t realize is that Agusan Marsh is still home to many more like them and floating above these waters entire communities live fishing sleeping and raising children just meters above one of the most dangerous predators on earth this is Agusan Marsh and this is the story of the people who live with crocodiles no fish foundation day of the municipality oh I see OK we’re going to switch to the other boat yeah so that I don’t fall in this water now it’s even easier for the crocodiles to jump in 5 star hotel you drink oh and cheers all together I always Learned that uh don’t drink wine after beer dried catfish sometimes you see them around the lake here just floating around from time to time four crocodiles were recently spotted just on that side there they were even bigger than lolong the crocodiles are usually in the deepest waters like over there at bakugon here we believe that as long as you don’t harm them then they won’t attack you yes we do we all from here still believe that, we don’t have a doctor here so my kids would get sick, my daughter lives in korea even in korea she would just light some candle and call her grandparents to heal that’s why we believe because those entities also show themselves to us especially if you go fishing or you lack belief so people would go missing at night because of the spirits they get their boat pulled down saying that it’s just the fish but it’s the spirit kicking them away from fishing at night but me and my family wouldnt go out fishing at night sir because we know that the night is for them At dawn, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, a lot before the first time that I went here there’s a school children who went home coming from the school and then their boat was attacked by a crocodile yeah at the time you can see that the the boat was there’s a carve by the crocodile yeah like this one on their opinion why it happened because the locals over there used to use electricity for fishing and they also do electricity at the crocodiles before there were a lot of fish but cheap now there’s less fish but more expensive I didn’t see him but the one we saw here was bigger it’s as big as that one this boat crocodile went inside one of their fishnets and then they thought that it was dead and one of the fishermen go swim below because they said it was dead then when it move ESNAUGHEU ACROCODILECANDY we’re going to the next door so this is the house of the daughter a fishing hook let’s go with them by four PM they’re gonna put this net and then they use frogs for bait my livelihood is here the management allow them to stay here for them to fish and that’s their livelihood but the thing is like for the fees that we paid the government the locals only get a small percentage no for us the importance of protection is that we are able to continue making a living since we didn’t get to go to school when it’s very windy then the house will turn on it’s own if they see that the water is getting bad and then they cannot fish they go somewhere else where they can fish and bring their house with them they are because in previous years this one here is clear I can still remember 2014 when I was here it’s color blue yes we are afraid that we would kicked out by management under pretense of violating the regulations of this protected area not always ah he’s the one who swam towards the big crocodile I just left it because i was too scared there’s also one fisherman he said that was attacked by the crocodile and then his legs was x it’s nice because because if there was no boat I think the whole leg would’ve been eaten yeah he survived only the leg just one kilo over there in the deep waters we can but the thing is there’s a lot of water lillies right now there there’s no path for the boat to go otherwise we need to go under the water Lily meet them personally dog is just laughing at you you cannot see what’s below! 5 meters pray? we have to be quiet on the water here because we are in the territory of the crocodiles and they believe that uh they have a spirit that we should respect and if not then we disturb the balance and then they might attack 18,000 peso a month yeah you know free divers right when they go down and then when they see a shark they just push the shark away it does not work with a crocodile this is with chili con carne this one is with pesto and you can have also Filipino dish is that the fish we just caught I think so yeah yeah yeah so what happened is that originally their family came from Kapalong during the time that the Japanese already has raised into power during the Second World War they already established a lot of camps here in Mindanao their grandfathers look for area where they are safe their grandfather discovered this area this place here and then when they saw that there’s a lot of fish so they they decided to establish here no yeah that’s the first generation of Fisher folks in the marshland they still believe that their grandfather was still here the spirit was always with them as of the moment they still preserve his house in former times this territory here is owned by a different spirit and then there was a spirit war at the time and then the spirit was the guardian of their grandfather conquered them all he’s the leader of this of the all the spirits that here so that’s why their grandfather become also the one of the most powerful yes sir we believe in God yeah Catholic we have a religion Catholic there’s no difference because we believe in god but our ancestral beliefs are intertwined with that before it started there was no sickness in the crops but now the water brings all of that mercury down here in my opinion in a few years this place will be a forest that the government is planning to reforest this area they want plant trees here? yeah even though that the reforestation will be here the government also give them area where they can fish but then this lake will dry out yeah and the river is digging its way going back out of here yes sir as the river digs its way going here the marshland will be dried out because all the water in the marshland will be channeled to the river sooner it will be closed because most of the children are moving to Loreto (close big city) the school here was the children don’t learn a lot because all grades were in here grade 1 until grade 1 until grade 3 even kidergarten also because there are not a lot of students usually the teachers that work here are not experienced yes, before there were 40 households and now only 29 yeah they have 2 printers the building of this school is uh NGO project and then there are also Ngos that’s coming here in the community that supports them what they expect from the next generation is that um since they’re gonna be going for school for higher education they’re going to apply it on the fishing develop the region agriculturally conserve our ancestors’ beliefs so they are expecting that they’re going to bring their education and knowledge and apply it here it’s forbidden to fish in some places here, and our area to fish is already limited They keep developing here but they don’t know that it’s affecting us here they’re making irrigation systems on the farms and then everything washes out here like fertilizers and everything affecting ecosystem

Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr2LTeP64MJLLZOC1FNUhFA/join

Explore the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Mindanao, Philippines — a hidden paradise of floating villages, rare wildlife, and some of the largest crocodiles in the Philippines. In this travel vlog, we journey deep into the marsh, meet locals living on the water, and learn incredible facts about the Agusan Marsh crocodiles and their natural habitat. A must‑watch for nature lovers and adventure seekers planning to visit Mindanao!

Travel Date: June 2025

🎵 Music licensed from Epidemic Sound. The biggest mainstream and stock music platform for content creators.
If you want to use music from famous artists, try Epidemic Sound to get unlimited stock music: https://share.epidemicsound.com/20vlz7

🎥 For endless stock footage and drone shots: 1.envato.market/mOojBM

Travel gear:
-GRAYL filter drinking bottle https://alnk.to/bEk7dlD
-Dji Pocket 3
-Dji action
-Iphone 16

⸻

00:00 – Massive crocodile attacks;
1:15 – Boat ride;
3:01 – Village on the water;
5:04 – Swimming with crocodiles;
8:23 – In the crocodile waters;
12:01 – Fishing;
16:11 – Manta sleep ad;
17:10 – History;
18:31 – Pollution;
21:15 – The future;

⸻

Hi, I’m Jonathan Le Blanc. I’m a full-time traveler who wants to show the human side of traveling and give another perspective on how the mass media portrays certain locations to us.

Let’s stay connected:
✅ Instagram: / the__absurdist
✅ TikTok: / the__absurdist
✅ Email: jonathanlc95@gmail.com
✅ Twitter/x: https://x.com/IamtheAbsurdist
✅ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.le.blanc.704075/

💟Edited by: @Ajjouche on IG

#AgusanMarsh #AgusanMarshCrocodiles #PhilippineCrocodile #SaltwaterCrocodile #Lolong #CrocodileEncounter #WildlifePhilippines #Mindanao #TravelPhilippines #NatureVlog #AdventureTravel #EcoTourism #Crocodiles #WildlifeDocumentary #CrocodileSanctuary