Komodo dragons attack people
2009-05-25 22:36
Komodo Island - Komodo dragons have shark-like teeth and poisonous venom that can kill a person within hours of a bite.
Yet villagers who have lived for generations alongside the world's largest lizard were not afraid - until the dragons started to attack.
The stories spread quickly across this smattering of tropical islands in southeastern Indonesia, the only place the endangered reptiles can still be found in the wild: Two people were killed since 2007 - a young boy and a fisherman - and others were badly wounded after being charged unprovoked.
Komodo dragon attacks are still rare, experts note. But fear is swirling through the fishing villages, along with questions on how best to live with the dragons in the future.
Komodos, which are popular zoo exhibits from the United States to Europe, grow to be three meters long and weigh about 70kg. All of the estimated 2 500 left in the wild can be found within the Komodo National Park, mostly on its two largest islands, Komodo and Rinca. The lizards on neighbouring Padar were wiped out in the 1980s when hunters killed their main prey, deer.
Though poaching is illegal, the sheer size of the park - and a shortage of rangers - makes it almost impossible to patrol, said Heru Rudiharto, a biologist and reptile expert. Villagers say the dragons are hungry and more aggressive toward humans because their food is being poached, though park officials are quick to disagree.
Still, the recent attacks couldn't have come at a worse time.
The government is campaigning hard to get the park onto a new list of the Seven Wonders of Nature - a long shot, but an attempt to at least raise awareness. The park's rugged hills and savannahs are home to orange-footed scrub fowl, wild boar and small wild horses, and the surrounding coral reefs and bays harbor more than a dozen whale species, dolphins and sea turtles.
- SAPA