swiss tourist killed by komodo dragon

The Most Infamous Komodo Dragon Attacks of the Past 10 Years

An 8-year old boy; a group of stranded divers; a celebrity’s husband: Just a few of the recent victims of Komodo dragon attacks

Rachel Nuwer

A Komodo dragon lounges near the Komodo National Park welcome center on Rinca Island. Photo: Rachel Nuwer

Mr. Safina, a local guide working at Komodo National Park, took a particular relish in describing the way a Komodo dragon’s strong jaws can snap a man’s leg in two. He’d lived on Rinca – a speck of land off Indonesia’s Flores Island, and one of the five places Komodo dragons reside – his whole life, and he was used to the various horror stories that surfaced every now and then after a tourist wandered off the trail or a kid got ambushed while playing in the bush. Standing in front of an assembly line of water buffalo, deer and wild horse skulls – dragon chow – Mr. Safina laughed while gesturing to a row of little wooden crosses stuck in the nearby mud. On each stick, a date and a foreigner’s name was scrawled in white paint. “Those are tourist graves!” Mr. Safina joked. “No really, they’re actually just baby mangrove markers that tourists bought to restore the forest. Now, are you ready to go see the dragons?”

Like so many other tourists, for me, a trip to Indonesia was not complete without a detour to see the world’s largest lizard in its natural habitat. ( Read Brendan Borell’s dispatch from his trip to Komodo Island , as featured in our special “ Evotourism ” issue of Smithsonian magazine.) In recent years, visitors have increasingly flooded this corner of Indonesia, drawn in by the thrill of brushing close to something wild and dangerous. Dragons are not to be taken lightly: male lizards can grow up to 10 feet long, weigh 150 pounds and eat up to 80 percent of their own body weight in one sitting. Though attacks are exceptionally rare, they do occasionally occur, mostly when a park guard lets his focus slip for a moment, or a villager has a particularly unlucky day.

Here are some of the most infamous attacks, as described by Mr. Safina and corroborated by media reports:

A Tragic Playdate

In 2007, a dragon killed an 8-year-old boy on Komodo Island, marking the first fatal attack on a human in 33 years, the Guardian reported . The attack took place in March’s dry season, so rangers speculate that the murderous lizard may have been particularly hungry given that the watering holes – and the prey that gather there – had dried up. The dragon lunged when the boy went behind a bush to use the bathroom, MSNBC writes .

Mr. Safina recalls the boy’s friends – who had been playing together in the scrubland near their village – rushing to get help from their parents. According to the Guardian , the boy’s uncle came running and threw rocks at the lizard until it released his nephew. While the Guardian writes that the boy died from massive bleeding from his torso, Mr. Safina recalls the boy being bitten in half.

In light of the tragedy, park wardens launched an island-wide hunt for the man-eating lizard, though whether or not these efforts produced results remains unclear.

Shipwrecked with Dragons

In 2008, a group of SCUBA divers found themselves swept from waters near their boat by the Flores region’s infamously strong current. After spending 10 hours spinning in the tide, around midnight the group washed up on the beach of what seemed like a deserted island, approximately 25 miles from where their ordeal had begun. Their troubles, however, were far from over. They had found their way to Rinca Island, where an estimate 1,300 dragons live.

The attacks began almost immediately, the Telegraph reports. A relentless lizard repeatedly came at a Swedish woman, who smacked it with her diving weight belt. It chewed at the lead belt while other divers threw rocks at its head, she said, all the while eyeing her bare feet.

For two days and two nights, the traumatized divers contended with dragons and the tropical heat, surviving off of shellfish they scraped from rocks and ate raw. Finally, an Indonesian rescue crew spotted the diver’s orange emergency floats spread out on the rocks. Though in shock, the group rehydrated at the local hospital on Flores Island and celebrated their survival at the town’s Paradise Bar.

Death in the Garden

In 2009, 31-year-old Muhamad Anwar set out to gather sugar apples from an orchard on Komodo Island. A misstep that sent him falling from the tree proved to be his undoing. Two Komodo dragons were waiting below, and sprang on Anwar. His neighbors heard the commotion, and ran to his rescue minutes later. By the time they arrived, however, Anwar had already suffered fatal injuries, and was bleeding from bites to his hands, body, legs and neck, the Guardian reports . Anwar died shortly after the attack, in a clinic on Flores Island.

Other accounts, however, contest some of these details. CNN writes that Anwar – a fisherman – was actually trespassing on the island, and was in an area forbidden for people to enter. This account also reports that Anwar bled to death on the way to the hospital, and was declared dead upon arrival. Even if CNN got this right and Anwar was guilty, however, death by dragon seems an overly steep punishment for eating a bit of forbidden fruit from the garden of Komodo.

Dragon Under the Desk

In 2009, Maen, a fellow guide like Mr. Safina, headed to the staff office as he would any other morning. Like all the other buildings on Rinca Island, Maen’s unit sat on stilts, and hungry dragons would often gather below to wait for the occasional food scrap. On this morning, however, Maen sensed that he was not alone. Just settling in at his desk, he looked down. At his sandled feet lay a dragon, peering back up at him.

As it turned out, one of the cleaning crew had left the office door open the night before and the hungry predator had crept in, likely in search of food. Heart pounding, Maen attempted to slowly withdraw his leg from the dragon’s vicinity. But he moved too quickly, cueing the motion-sensitive carnivore to lunge. The dragon chomped down on Maen’s leg, clenching its jaw shut. Maen kicked at the dragon’s neck, then grabbed its jaws with his hands and wrenched its mouth open, slicing open his arm in the process.

Although Maen shouted for help, most of the rangers were in the cafeteria and could not hear his screams. Only one picked up on the noise, and came to investigate.

“I shouted and he came to help me but he didn’t like to come up because the dragon was still moving around,” Maen explained to travel writer Michael Turtle, of Time Travel Turtle . “Then he saw the blood on the floor and he got everyone from the kitchen. All the people come running here, but other dragons follow along as well.”

The dragons – which can smell blood and the scent of death from nearly 6 miles away – followed the crowd. Some rangers fended off the would-be feeding frenzy, while a couple others darted into Maen’s office to help their colleague fight free from his attacker. Maneuvering their injured friend through the pack of dragons waiting outside, they managed to carry him to the island’s dock, where he was rushed to Flores Island’s hospital. The injuries were too much for the small medical center to contend with, however, and Maen wound up being flown to Bali for six hours of emergency treatment and 55 stitches, MSNBC reports . All in all, it took him six months to recover from his brush with the dragon.

Despite the encounter, Maen went back to work, although he only stays indoors now so he does not have to deal directly with the animals. “The dragon, I can’t remember which one, he’s still alive,” he told Turtle. “But I think now he’ll be bigger. If he had a bigger neck then, I couldn’t have hold it open.”

Horror in Hollywood

Dragon attacks can occur outside of Komodo National Park, too. More than 50 zoos around the world keep the animals as attractions. In 2001, Phil Bronstein, an investigative journalist formerly married to actress Sharon Stone, suffered an unfortunate encounter with a Komodo dragon at the Los Angeles Zoo. Stone had arranged a private visit to the zoo’s dragon pen as a present for her husband, who, according to a Time Magazine interview with Stone, had always wanted to see a Komodo dragon up close. Stone described the incident:

Phil didn’t know where we were going or why we were going there. It was a complete surprise. So we came around the corner and he was like, ‘Oh my god this is so fabulous, I’ve always wanted to see this.’ And the zookeeper said, ‘would you like to go in the cage? It’s very mild mannered. Everybody goes in there. Kids pet him. It’s fine.’

Bronstein accepted the invitation and went into the dragon’s cage with the zoo keeper. The lizard began licking at Bronstein’s white shoes, which the keeper thought must remind the animal of it’s white rat meals. Following the keeper’s advice, Bronstein removed his shoes and socks to avoid tempting the lizard. Then, as he moved into a better position to take a photo with the animal, it lunged.

So there was that hideous moment where the three of us… It’s such a break in reality, it’s so inconceivable that it’s happening, but there’s that moment of stillness where you just stare in disbelief. Then Phil screamed and we heard this crunching sound.

Bronstein managed to pin the lizard’s head down with his other foot, but the animal began jerking back and forth in an attempt to maul and eat its prey. Children gathered around the cage’s glass wall, Stone recalled, taking in the spectacle.

Bronstein managed to wrench the dragon’s jaw’s open and throw it from his foot, then dragged himself out of the cage as the lizard came at him from behind. The top half of Bronstein’s foot was gone, Stone said, and he was covered in scratches from the animal’s lunges at his back. Bronstein survived the incident and did not press charges, though Stone complained that the zoo allegedly continued to allow close-up encounters with dangerous animals following the incident.

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Rachel Nuwer | | READ MORE

Rachel Nuwer is a freelance science writer based in Brooklyn.

Places - Nusa Tenggara

KOMODO ISLAND

Komodo Island (east of Sumbawa and generally reached by boat from Flores) is the home of the famous Komodo Dragon, the world largest lizard, which can reach lengths of three meters including the tail, and wasn't even discovered by outsiders until 1912. Tourists used to come to see the dragons fed on a goat in a pit. The pit exists but dragons are no longer fed there. Some visitors skip Komodo altogether and look for dragons on Rinca island because it is easier to get to. Komodo Dragons also live on Rinca, Padar and western Flores. These volcanic islands are inhabited by a population of around 5,700 giant lizards. Komodo Dragons exist nowhere else in the world and are of great interest to scientists, especially for their evolutionary implications.

About 30 kilometers long, Komodo is comprised mostly of grassy hills, steep mountains and dry savannahs. The forests are filled with tamarind and kapok trees. The dry savannah feature Lonar Palms, and stunted Sujube trees. The rugged hillsides of dry savannah and pockets of thorny green vegetation contrast starkly with the brilliant white sandy beaches and the blue waters surging over coral. In 1928, Komodo was named a Wilderness Area, one of the first of its kind in Asia. Komodo National Park encompasses an area of 173,00 hectares, with three fourth of that on land and one fourth in the sea.

Other wildlife found on Komodo include Timor deer, wild pigs, an endemic rat, the orange-footed scrub fowl, the black-naped oriole, a helmeted friarbird, a Wallecean drongo, yellow-crested cockatoos, baseball-glove-size moths, hand-sized spiders (whose venom is a "little poisonous”), and ants that has been compared with "meaty little dumbbells."

Divers claim that the Komodo waters are one of the best diving sites in the world. The rich coral reefs and mangrove forests of Komodo host a great diversity of species, and the strong currents of the sea attract the presence of sea turtles, whales, dolphins and dugongs. There are 385 species of corals, 70 types of sponges and various types of sharks and stingrays.

Komodo Island definitely has an eery feel to it. The first afternoon we were there, my brother and I went looking for dragons: we didn't find any, but every time we heard a rustle in the bushes our hearts jumped. There are a lot of deer, wild pig and large birds on the island as well. The town of Komodo has several hundred residents. They live in ramshackle houses set up along dirt roads or by the sea. Women hang squids on lines. Children tend goats and chase crabs. Visitors stay in Loh Liang, a tourist camp run by the Directorate of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA).

See Separate Article KOMODO DRAGONS factsanddetails.com ; KOMODO DRAGONS AND HUMANS factsanddetails.com

Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park (between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores) is composed of three major islands (Rinca, Komodo, and Padar) and numerous smaller ones, all of them of volcanic origin. Located at the juncture of two continental plates, this national park constitutes the “shatter belt” within the Wallacea Biogeographical Region, between the Australian and Sunda ecosystems. The property is identified as a global conservation priority area, comprising unparalleled terrestrial and marine ecosystems and covers a total area of 219,322 ha. The dry climate has triggered specific evolutionary adaptation within the terrestrial flora that range from open grass-woodland savanna to tropical deciduous (monsoon) forest and quasi cloud forest. The rugged hillsides and dry vegetation highly contrast with the sandy beaches and the blue coral-rich waters. [Source: UNESCO]

The park was established in part to protect the Komodo dragon, which is found only on the islands in or near the park and is officially classified as vulnerable. Because of the unique and rare nature of this animal, Komodo Nation Park (KNP) was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. There has also been an effort to include it on a list of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. The park’s three major islands—Komodo, Rinca and Padar—and numerous smaller islands together total about 603 square kilometers of land. The total size of Komodo National Park, with sea areas included, is presently 1,817 square kilometers. Proposed extensions of 25 square kilometers of land (Banta Island) and 479 square kilometers of marine waters would bring the total surface area up to 2,321 square kilometers.

It is thought that the islands have long been settled due to their strategic importance and the existence of sheltered anchorages and supplies of fresh water on Komodo and Rinca. The evidence of early settlement is further supported by the recent discovery of Neolithic graves, artefacts and megaliths on Komodo Island.

For more information please contact: Komodo Marine National Park Office, Jl. Kasimo Labuan Bajo West Flores, East Nusa Tenggara 86445 Ph. +62 385 41004, fax: +62 385 41006 e-mail: [email protected] www.komodonationalpark.org PT Putri Naga Komodo Bali Branch, Jl. Pengembak No.2 Sanur 80228, Bali T: +62 381 780 2408 F: +62 361 747 4398 e-mail: [email protected] www.gokomodo.org

Labuan Bajo Gg.Masjid, Kampung Cempa. Labuan Bajo, 86554 West Manggarai. East Nusa Tenggara. T: +62 385 41448 F: +62 385 41225 www.floreskomodo.com www.gokomodo.org

Landscape, Vegetation and Terrain of Komodo National Park

Richard C. Paddock wrote in the Los Angeles Times, “Komodo National Park boasts crystal-clear water, miles of deserted beaches and world-class dive sites where rushing currents help protect the reefs from bleaching. A visitor can sail among the park's islands all day and only occasionally see another boat. At Komodo National Park, visitors can approach within a few yards” of the giant lizards. “A ranger stands by with a long stick to fend off any animal that appears threatening, although it seems scant protection.” [Source: Richard C. Paddock, Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2006 ^*^]

Komodo National Park is a landscape of contrasts and unquestionably one of the most dramatic landscapes in all of Indonesia. An irregular coastline characterized by bays, beaches and inlets separated by headlands, often with sheer cliffs falling vertically into the surrounding seas which are reported to be among the most productive in the world adds to the stunning natural beauty of landscapes dominated by contrasting vegetation types, providing a patchwork of colors.

The generally steep and rugged topography reflects the position of the national park within the active volcanic 'shatter belt' between Australia and the Sunda shelf. Komodo, the largest island, has a topography dominated by a range of rounded hills oriented along a north-south axis at an elevation of 500-600 meters.Relief is steepest towards the north-east, notably the peak of Gunung Toda Klea which is precipitous and crowned by deep, rocky and dry gullies. The coastline is irregular and characterized by numerous bays, beaches and inlets separated by headlands, often with sheer cliffs falling vertically into the sea.

To the east, Padar is a small, narrow island the topography of which rises steeply from the surrounding plains to between 200 meters and 300 meters.Further east, the second largest island in the park, Rinca, is separated from Flores by a narrow strait a few kilometers wide. As with Komodo and Padar, the coastline is generally rugged and rocky although sandy beaches are found in sheltered bays.

The mainland components of the park lie in the rugged coastal areas of western Flores, where surface fresh water is more abundant than on the islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar. The seas around the islands are reported to be among the most productive in the world due to upwelling and a high degree of oxygenation resulting from strong tidal currents which flow through the Sape Straits. Fringing and patch coral reefs are extensive and best developed in the west- and north-facing areas, the most intact being on the north-east coast of Komodo and the south-west coast of Rinca and Padar.

The terrestrial fauna is of rather poor diversity in comparison to the marine fauna. The predominant vegetation type is open grass-woodland savannah, mainly of anthropogenic origin, which covers some 70 percent of the park. The dominant savannah tree is lontar palm, which occurs individually or in scattered stands. Tropical deciduous (monsoon) forest occurs along the bases of hills and on valley bottoms. The forest is notable, lacking the predominance of Australian derived tree flora found further to the east on Timor. A quasi cloud forest occurs above 500m on pinnacles and ridges. Although covering only small areas on Komodo Island, it harbours a relict flora of many endemic species. Floristically, it is characterized by moss-covered rocks, rattan, bamboo groves and many tree species generally absent at lower elevations. Coastal vegetation includes mangrove forest, which occurs in sheltered bays on Komodo, Padar and Rinca.

Wildlife in Komodo National Park

Animals found in Komodo National Park include imperial pigeons, sunbirds, egrets, quail, and exotic mound-building megapodes, horses, wild pigs, crab-eating macaques, flying foxes, cobras, and vipers. Its flora includes orchids, lontar palms, bamboo, soursop, tamarind and custard trees. In the waters of the park live whale sharks, marlin, tuna, whales and dolphins. There are colorful corals, nudibranches, giant clams, turtles, and a plethora of reef and pelagic fish.

The population of Komodo dragons is distributed across the islands of Komodo, Rinca and Gili Motong, and in certain coastal regions of western and northern Flores. Favoured habitat is tropical deciduous forest and, to a lesser extent, open savannah. The mammalian fauna is characteristic of the Wallacean zoogeographical zone, with seven terrestrial species recorded including an endemic rat (Rattus rintjanus) and the crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis). Introduced species, such as rusa deer and wild boar, as well as feral domestic animals including horses and water buffalo, form important prey species for the Komodo monitor. Among the 72 species of bird found on the islands are the lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea), the orange-footed scrub fowl (Megapodius reinwardt), noisy friarbird (Philemon buceroides) and common scrubhen. [Source: UNESCO]

The coral reefs fringing the coast of Komodo are diverse and luxuriant due to the clear water, intense sunlight and rapid exchange of nutrient-rich water from deeper areas of the archipelago. Upwelling of nutrient-rich water from deeper areas of the archipelago is responsible for the rich reef ecosystem of which only isolated patches remain due to anthropogenic disturbance. In areas of strong currents, the reef substrate consists of an avalanche of coral fragments, with only encrusting or low branching species. Reefs off the north-east of Komodo have high species diversity. The reefs off Gili Lawa Laut are variable. The marine fauna and flora are generally the same as that found throughout the Indo Pacific area, though species richness is very high, notable marine mammals include blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and sperm whale (Physeter catodon) as well as 10 species of dolphin, dugong (Dugong dugon) and five species of sea turtles.

The number of terrestrial animal species found in the Park is not high, but the area is important from a conservation perspective as some species are endemic.. Many of the mammals are Asiatic in origin (e.g. deer, pig, macaques, civet). Several of the reptiles and birds are Australian in origin. These include the orange-footed scrubfowls, the lesser sulpher-crested cockatoos and the nosy friarbirds.

Reptiles: Other than the Komodo Dragons, twelve terrestrial snake species are found on the island. including the cobra (Naja naja sputatrix), Russel’s pit viper (Vipera russeli), and the green tree vipers (Trimeresurus albolabris). Lizards include 9 skink species (Scinidae), geckos (Gekkonidae), limbless lizards (Dibamidae), and, of course, the monitor lizards (Varanidae). Frogs include the Asian Bullfrog (Kaloula baleata), Oreophyne jeffersoniana and Oreophyne darewskyi. They are typically found at higher, moister altitudes.

Mammals: Mammals include the Timor deer (Cervus timorensis), the main prey of the Komodo dragon, horses (Equus sp.), water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), wild boar (Sus scrofa vittatus), long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus lehmanni), the endemic Rinca rat (Rattus rintjanus), and fruit bats. One can also find goats, dogs and domestic cats.

Birds: One of the main bird species is the orange-footed scrub fowl (Megapodius reinwardti), a ground dwelling bird. In areas of savanna, 27 species were observed. Geopelia striata and Streptopelia chinensis were the most common species. In mixed deciduous habitat, 28 bird species were observed, and Philemon buceroides, Ducula aenea, and Zosterops chloris were the most common.

Komodo Dragons

Komodo dragons are the world's largest lizard. They can weigh up to 100 kilograms and reach a length of three meters and take prey as large as a water buffalo. They are giant versions of monitor lizards, a reptile that resides all over southern Asia and Africa and are related to goannas found in Australia. Monitors in Malaysia can reach lengths two meters. [Source: Eric Wikramanayake, Smithsonian; The Behavioral Ecology of the Komodo Monitor by Walter Affenberg; James Kern, National Geographic, December 1968]

The name Komodo dragon is kind of nickname. The animals are properly known as Komodo lizards or Komodo monitors. Their scientific name is Varanus komodoensis. They were long thought to related to monitor lizards found elsewhere in Southeast Asia but now it is believed they are the last representative of a relic population of large lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia.

Henry Allen of the Washington Post described the Komodo dragons as the "baddest reptiles of them all, real prizes, the crepuscular glamour of meat-seeking missiles with tongues...that flick like foot-long pieces of meat paranoia...They don't move a lot, but when they do it's with sullen self-assurance, their legs rotating forward like the arms of a fat man putting on an overcoat. The tongue flicks. The eyes have all the soul of mirror sunglasses." "They are also the pit bull, the chopped Harley, the Darth Vader, the .44 Magnum of lizards... They are not left over dinosaurs, they are monitor lizards—proactive, self-propelled chain saws with legs."

Komodo dragons live in tropical savannahs, stream side thickets and coastal regions. There are between 4,000 and 6,000 of them left in the world today, with about half of them on the island of Komodo. The range of the Komodo dragon is smaller than any other large carnivore in the world. Komodo dragons reside only on four largely deforested islands in Indonesia— Komodo, Padar, Rintja, and Gili Motang—and parts of Flores. All of these islands are east of Java and Bali in a chain called the Lesser Sundas. Local islanders call the Komodo dragons "ora." Komodo dragons are good swimmers. It is not known why they don’t live in other places.

Jerome Rivet of Reuters wrote: “Three meters (10 feet) long and weighing up to 70 kilograms (150 pounds), Komodo dragons are lethargic, lumbering creatures but they have a fearsome reputation for devouring anything they can, including their own. They prefer to scavenge for rotting carcasses, but can kill if the opportunity arises. Scientists used to believe their abundant drool was laced with bacteria that served to weaken and paralyse their prey, which they stalk slowly but relentlessly until it dies or is unable to defend itself. But new research has found the lizards are equipped with toxic glands of their own. One bite from a dragon won't kill you, but it may make you very sick and, eventually, defenceless. About 2,500 dragons live on the island named after them ("komodo" means dragon in Indonesian). Along with neighbouring Rinca island, it is the main dragon habitat in the Komodo National Park, created in 1980 to preserve the ancient species. [Source: Jerome Rivet, Reuters, December 22, 2010 ]

Book: Zoo Quest for a Dragon by David Attenborough

Komodo Dragon Tourism

Reporting from Komodo, Jerome Rivet of Reuters wrote: “They don't breathe fire but Komodo dragons can kill a buffalo or any one of the intrepid tourists who flock to their deserted island habitats. "I feel like I'm in the middle of Jurassic Park, very deep in the past," said Hong Kong visitor Michael Lien during a recent trip to Komodo Island, the main habitat of the threatened Indonesian lizards. Spread out before him is a landscape from the dawn of time — mountainous islands with palm trees plunging down to the azure sea. Lien and his wife are excited and a little nervous at the same time. "What am I supposed to do if a dragon appears suddenly?" he asks Johnny Banggur, the guide on a tour of the island, an almost uninhabited speck in the east of the vast Indonesian archipelago. [Source: Jerome Rivet, Reuters, December 22, 2010 ]

“Armed with 18 years experience and a hefty club for good measure, Banggur dispenses some welcome advice: don't wander from the track and stay with the group. Banggur explains that dragons can devour half their own weight in a single meal. Reassuringly, he adds that they "prefer" buffalo, deer or wild boar and the danger to humans is "very limited". Even so, the Liens have no intention of going anywhere near the menacing reptiles, with their yellow, forked tongues, powerful jaws and sharp claws.

“The island's brave human inhabitants — about 2,000 in all — used to hunt wild boar and deer, thereby competing with the lizards for food. Now they are the dragons' chief guardians. "On Komodo, everything is done for the peaceful cohabitation of humans and dragons," park manager Mulyana Atmadja told AFP.

“Visitors pay to set foot on the islands and take guided tours on designated tracks, always in the company of a ranger. Some 40,000 tourists are expected this year, 90 percent of them foreigners. "We need to act carefully because an excessive number of visitors will trouble the Komodos' natural habitat," Atmadja said. US environmental group The Nature Conservancy has helped the Indonesian authorities shift the local economy into one that sustains both the human and reptilian inhabitants.

“The villagers still fish but no longer compete with the dragons for food. To supplement their incomes they have the exclusive right to sell Komodo miniatures, pearls and other souvenirs. "We've done campaigns to raise the locals' awareness and provide other sources of income for them. The more tourists who come to visit, the more money they can earn," the park chief added. It's worked so well the park managers were able to stop feeding the dragons in 1990. Some of the lizards had apparently forgotten how to fend for themselves and simply waited for tourists to offer them live goats.”

Komodo Dragon Pit

On Rinca Island, you can see Komodos lying down outside the homes of national park rangers, or "parking" near the officials' homes. Short treks can be organized to look for dragons on Komodo and Rinca. Sometimes dragon wait outside the Loh Liang camp on Komodo. The Poreng Valley, 5½ kilometers from Loh Liang, is another places where they are seen. On Rinca there are no designated viewing areas but the lizards are often seen around the jetty and the PHKA camp at Loh Buaya. Guides know the places where they are most likely to be seen but that is no guarantee the lizards will show up. There is more wildlife on Rinca, including colonies of monkeys, wild pigs, barking deer and fish eagles, than on Komodo.

Previously, to find one, you had to “offer” a goat to attract the Komodo, but now this practice is no longer allowed. In the old days, Komodo dragons were often spotted at Banu Nggulung, a dry river bed about a half hour walk from Loh Liang. A little pit with few benches organized around it was set up here for viewing the lizards. The dragons used to feed on a freshly killed goat there and a number of dragons regularly showed up. Dragons still appear to drink but they no longer show up as reliably as they used to.

In the old days, in morning the giant lizards came to the pit to get fed. When I visited in the 1980s, thinking the whole thing was a little touristy, a friend and I hiked to the pit before the tourists arrived. When we got there, there were no lizards, but soon enough three of them came ambling along. First we watched them from above the pit, then we thought it might be fun to climb into the pit with them. And that is what we did until one turned slightly in our direction and we both went scrambling up a tree. The largest of the three dragons was about eight or nine feet long. It was interesting to watch. When it walked it rocked its shoulders back and forth, sort of like a strutting linebacker. Its forked tongue was constantly going in and out, curling and probing.

Finally the others arrived with the dragon food, a live goat. But it didn't stay alive for long. The Indonesian guides cut its throat. After which it was tied to a rope and dangled above the heads of the dragons. The lizards obviously had been through this routine before and there was no way they were going to leap into the air to grab the dead goat. When it was dropped down to them, that is when they started ripping it apart. One of the little dragons got a piece of intestine stuck between its teeth, sort of like we do with a piece of corn, and I felt sorry for it because what ever it did it couldn't it out.

This went on for a while. Later the guides carried the goat carcass out of the pit and placed it a little corral next to the tourists. At first the lizards didn't want to climb out of the pit so a couple of park ranger climbed into the pit and prodded one of them out with a long forked stick. The big lizard obliged and everyone got good close-ups of the beast snapping its jaw shut on a piece of goat leg.

The dragons are no longer fed the goats on the grounds that had become lazy and less able to find food of their own. Visitors now hire dragon finders who take them though the forest and underbrush, looking for dragons.

Hiking in Komodo Dragon Country

Brendan Borrell wrote in Smithsonian Magazine, “It didn’t seem prudent to bring two small children along. We had just docked at a remote island in southeastern Indonesia, and the five-hour hike would traverse a rocky, exposed ridge in the baking heat of the dry season. My companions—a blond Frenchman named Fred, his wife and their two kids—were dressed for a game of shuffleboard. My concern heightened when I saw he had a single water bottle for the four of them. Also, there were dragons. [Source: Brendan Borrell, Smithsonian Magazine, February 2013]

“Komodo National Park has become Indonesia’s hottest tourist spot this side of Bali. Our starting point in Labuan Bajo, on the island of Flores, was packed with hip cafés, hostels and diving shops. Cruise companies offer a two-day expedition to parkland on Komodo and Rinca islands. Komodo, about five times the size of Manhattan, got a makeover in the late 1990s, when the Indonesian government asked the Nature Conservancy and the World Bank to help it protect the island’s biodiversity, develop hiking trails and build a visitor center. Even with these amenities, the destination’s popularity is surprising. Whale-watching may appeal to our spiritual side, while a glimpse of an orangutan or other primate cousin tugs at an evolutionary heartstring. The Komodo dragon, I believe, taps into our basic fears: a living incarnation of the fictional monsters that haunt our imaginations.

“Our guide that August morning, Ishak, lifted his forked stick—a defense against snapping jaws—and we marched into the bush. Even the vegetation is reptilian: Crocodile trees with spiky bark sprout from volcanic soils, while Lontar palms tower over the upland savanna. After only a ten-minute walk we came to a gallery of tamarind trees shading a pit of mud and greenish scum. A female Komodo dragon was sprawled next to a tree, her black obsidian eyes unreadable. The beaded folds of her flesh hung from her neck and she had kicked her rear legs behind her with the insouciance that comes from being at the top of the food chain. Luckily, she was still digesting a meal from earlier that week—a small deer, according to Ishak—and in her postprandial stupor would probably not be pondering cuisine for another month. Up ahead, however, I knew there were dragons in the brush, possibly hungry ones. At the top of a pass, a white cross commemorates Rudolf Von Reding Biberegg, an elderly Swiss tourist who vanished in 1974, presumably killed by a Komodo dragon. “He loved nature throughout his life,” the epitaph says.”

“August is the height of the breeding season and, during our visit, most Komodo dragons were defending their nests or looking for mates far from established trails and water holes. Fred and his family were chipper as usual as we passed mounds of dirt and rock that were 10 to 20 feet in diameter and at least as tall as his 9-year-old son. The mounds are the nests of chicken-like birds called orange-footed megapodes, which don’t incubate their eggs with body heat but bury them atop plant matter that produces heat as it decays. The dragons remodel these nests for their own eggs, and guard them for six months, a rather long incubation.

“By noon, we were out of the forest and had crested the ridge, gazing out across golden meadows and aquamarine waters that could have easily been mistaken for a southern California scene. We then trotted down the mountain. I slipped three times—unlike Fred’s 6-year-old daughter, who held out her arms like she was flying and didn’t trip once on the crumbling slope. When we got to the bottom and arrived at the last stop on the hike, Loh Sebita camp, we saw our last dragon, a somewhat pathetic creature lounging next to a wooden building on stilts, the kitchen. “If the dragon can’t hunt, he might come here,” Ishak says. “Sometimes the cook may throw out a chicken bone.”

Conservation in Komodo National Park

The boundaries are the park considered adequate to secure the habitat and the main ecological processes to preserve them. The extensive marine buffer zone surrounding the park is key to maintaining the integrity and intactness of the property and the number of exceptional species that it hosts. Illegal fishing and poaching remain the main threats to the values of the property and its overall integrity. There is an extensive marine buffer zone to the park, in which management authority staff has authority to regulate the type of fishing permitted and to some extent the presence of fishermen from outside the area. This buffer zone, which assists in controlling poaching of the terrestrial species that provide the prey species for the komodo lizard, will become significant in the overall long-term protection of the property. [Source: UNESCO]

Komodo National Park is managed by the central government of Indonesia through the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Natural Conservation of the Ministry of Forestry. The history of protection afforded the site goes back to 1938 while official protection began when Ministerial Decree declared the area as a 72,000 ha National Park in March 1980. This area was subsequently extended to 219,322 ha in 1984 to include an expanded marine area and the section of mainland Flores. Comprised of Komodo Game Reserve (33,987 hectares), Rinca Island Nature Reserve (19,625 hectares), Padar Island Nature Reserve (1,533 hectares), Mbeliling and Nggorang Protection Forest (31,000 hectares), Wae Wuul and Mburak Game Reserve (3,000 hectares) and surrounding marine areas (130,177 hectares) the Komodo Biosphere Reserve was accepted under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme in January 1977. In 1990 a national law, elevating the legislative mandate for conservation to the parliamentary and presidential level significantly empowered the legal basis for protection and management.

In order to ensure the effective management and protection of the park and its exceptional landscapes and biota, the park is governed through the 2000-2025 Management Plan and a 2010-2014 Strategic Plan, which will require revision and updating. These plans are important for ensuring the effective zoning system of the park and guaranteeing the sustainability of the ecosystems of the property. The management authority is known for designing specific plans to guide management decisions which will require updating in line with changes to priorities and threats, in particular expected increases in visitor numbers and impacts from tourism.

The Park receives strong support and resources from the central government of Indonesia. As a tourism location known worldwide, the Indonesian Government has a specific program for ecotourism management to promote the park at the international level and to ensure the sustainability of tourism activities. Additionally, in order to address illegal fishing and poaching, regular patrolling of the marine and terrestrial areas is carried out for law enforcement and a number of the problems and impacts associated with these activities have decreased. Community awareness and empowerment programs are being implemented to engage the local villagers regards to the sustainable use of natural resources and park conservation. Research and study of the unique biological features of the park is also being promoted and supported by the management authority.

Increasing levels of tourism and matters related specifically to the komodo lizard are the major management issues that have been focused on to date. A broadening of the management focus to address issues within the marine area of the park along with other terrestrial species is required to ensure the long-term effective conservation of the property. A focus on the issue of depletion of Komodo monitor prey species stocks has resulted in some success and the same efforts need to be focused on the issues of damaging fishing practices and impacts on other unique species contained within the property.

Pink Beach on Komodo

Pink Beach (eastern side of Komodo) is aptly named and one of only seven pink beaches in world. This exceptional beach gets its striking color from microscopic animals called Foraminifera, which produce a red pigment on the coral reefs. When the tiny fragments of red coral combine with the white sands, this produces the soft pink color that is visible along the shoreline. Aside from Pink Beach (Pantai Merah) itself, a few small segments along Komodo’s eastern bay also have a pinkish tint.

The beach is hard to get to and often no one is there. It’s a magical place: not only because of the pink sand but also because of the turquoise seas, green rolling hills and blue skies found at the beach. Offshore are amazing corals of all shapes and sizes jut from the sea bed.

Obviously snorkeling and diving have become a sort of compulsory activity while visiting this beach. The corals of the Pink Beach’s underwater gardens are in excellent condition, with hundreds of species of both soft and hard corals, and thousands of species of fish. Pink Beach is a terrific choice for snorkelers and beginner divers as even the shallow waters are home to an abundance of species to keep you more than entertained. Of course, there is much more to see the deeper you venture.

Relax on the fairytale-like pink sands and work on your tan. Or join in with the various other available water sports such as kayaking or just having a leisurely swim. If photography is your passion, this is definitely a place to try your hand at capturing the stunning natural beauty of the island. And make sure you stick around till sunset, as the view is amazing.

A few points to keep in mind, is that this is an uninhabited island, and it also is the natural habitat of the Komodo Dragon. If you see the creatures roaming the coast or in the water, be sure to keep a distance. Komodo Dragons are excellent swimmers and are even capable of swimming inter-island. Komodo Dragons are wild animals that could be potentially dangerous to people, so it is not recommended to visit this beach without the help of an experienced guide or ranger.

The only way to reach Pink Beach is by boat. As the area around beach is uninhabited and fairly remote area, most tourists opt to stay in Labuan Bajo in Flores for proper accommodations. If you wish to stay on Komodo itself, there are available homestays on the island with modest facilities and simple food. Your guide should be able to help you on this matter should you choose to overnight on Komodo.

Diving Around Komodo Island

The sea around Komodo Island offers vibrant colors and exotic marine life which will enchant divers and snorkelers alike as endless schools of fish ride the waterways rushing up from deep sea vents, below them the seabed is covered with a thick carpet of florescent corals and marine invertebrates, an underwater photographers paradise. Many tour operators run liveaboard tours for divers out of Bali.

The waters that surround the island are turbulent and teeming with unparalled marine life. A marine reserve has recently been established and this reserve is largely undocumented and remains unexplored. Komodo National Park was established in 1980. It was declared as a Man and Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site in 1986. KNP includes three major islands - Komodo, Rinca and Padar and numerous smaller islands together totaling 41,000 ha of land contains 132,000 ha of marine waters.

The corals in Komodo National park are pristine, with Mantas, sharks, turtles, dolphins, dugong, many pelagics, to the tiny pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, frog fish, you name it we've got it. The sites vary from gentle easy coral slopes to heart pounding adrenalin rides, from the warm waters of the Flores Sea in the north to the chillier waters down south in the Indian Ocean, the underwater terrain is so varied with sheer cliff walls, pinnacles, sandy flat bottoms, underwater plateaus, slopes, caves, swim-throughs, channels, all with varying colors, sizes and types of coral both hard and soft.

Diving the Komodo National Park provides some fantastic conditions: 1) Water Temperature: 20 - 28 Degrees Celsius (68-85 F), cooler water is experienced on the southern sites. Full 3mm wetsuit & hood is recommended. More active people will prefer a sports suit in northern sites. 2) Visibility: 10 - 50M year round. Traditionally clearer water on northern sites.CURRENT: Komodo experiences a strong tidal flow. Not all sites are affected by current. Drift diving is excellent, however during spring tides some sites are impossible to dive. Particular attention is placed on diving the correct sites at the most suitable time to ensure optimum conditions, in accordance with the preferences of the group. 3) Night Diving: The night diving in Komodo is breathtaking. The sheer beauty, color and diversity of life makes it a must see for all divers. 4) Walls, Canyons and Seamounts: There are numerous walls to choose from. Both drift and static wall dives are offered. Huge chasms drop thousands of meters, fringed by extraordinary coral gardens. Seamounts, fringing reefs, gutters, muck, and sandy locations are also found in the archipelago.

Dive Sites Around Komodo Island

Bidadari Island: Angel Steps, huge towers of stone, encrusted with hard and soft corals, covered in nudibranchs, small caves and overhangs make this a very interesting and beautiful site, Dusky sharks, humphead parrot fish are among the bigger creatures we see here. Cathedral Coral, a gentle slope covered with table corals of every color and schooling fish, a towering spire of coral with a small cave at it's base is the home to some huge lobsters.

Sabolon: Sabolon kecil a slope on the east side of this tiny island, with two underwater mounds at the southern end with fields of garden eels and sea pens, schools of round bat fish are often seen coming quite close for some nice photography.

Sabolon Besar steep slopes off the southern and western sides of the bigger island, fabulous coral coverage and a good chance of spotting Scorpion leaf fish.

Sebayur kecil walls and slopes of every kind of coral you can imagine, wide variety of marine life to be seen at this site, mantas often seen.

Tatawa Besar slope with soft coral garden changing to hard coral along the slope, lots of shoaling fish, rainbow runners, fuseliers and often turtles and black tip sharks.

Tatawa Kecil (current city) as the name implies, this site is washed by very strong currents, which is why this site is among the many world class sites in the Komodo National Park, schools of pelagic fish patrol the waters, best dived at slack tide.

Batu Bolong: A little further west from current city a small rock outcrop with a hole through it is the surface mark of another world class site, only to be dived at slack tide or with a current not long from stopping or starting to run, these giant slabs of rock which disappear into the depths are an amazing sight to see, covered with every form of marine life and patrolled by giant trevally, Napoleon Wrasse, sharks and turtles with schools of barracuda sweeping in to check out the divers.

Marine Life and Ecosystems in Komodo National Park

Marine Physical Environment: The marine area constitutes 67 percent of the Park. The open waters in the Park are between 100 and 200 meters deep. The straits between Rinca and Flores and between Padar and Rinca, are relatively shallow (30 to 70 meters deep), with strong tidal currents. The combination of strong currents, coral reefs and islets make navigation around the islands in Komodo National Park difficult and dangerous. Sheltered deep anchorage is available at the bay of Loh Liang on Komodo’s east coast, the South East coast of Padar, and the bays of Loh Kima and Loh Dasami on Rinca.

In the North of the Park water temperature ranges between 25 — 29°C. In the middle, the temperature ranges between 24 and 28°C. The temperatures are lowest in the South, ranging from 22 — 28°C. Water salinity is about 34 ppt and the water is quite clear, although the waters closer to the islands are relatively more turbid.

Marine Ecosystems: Indonesia is the only equatorial region in the world where there is an exchange of marine flora and fauna between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Passages in Nusa Tenggara (formerly the Lesser Sunda Islands) between the Sunda and Sahul shelves allow movement between the Pacific and Indian oceans. The three main ecosystems in Komodo National Park are seagrass beds, coral reefs, and mangrove forests. The Park is probably a regular cetacean migration route.

Marine Flora: The three major coastal marine plants are algae, seagrasses and mangrove trees. Algae are primitive plants, which do not have true roots, leaves or stems. An important reef-building algae is the red coralline algae, which actually secretes a hard limestone skeleton that can encrust and cement dead coral together. Seagrasses are modern plants that produce flowers, fruits and seeds for reproduction. As their name suggests, they generally look like large blades of grass growing underwater in sand near the shore. Thallasia sp. and Zastera spp. are the common species found in the Park. Mangroves trees can live in salty soil or water, and are found throughout the Park. An assessment of mangrove resources identified at least 19 species of true mangroves and several more species of mangrove associates within the Park's borders.

Marine Fauna: Komodo National Park includes one of the world's richest marine environments. It consists of forams, cnidaria (includes over 260 species of reef building coral), sponges (70 species), ascidians, marine worms, mollusks, echinoderms, crustaceans, cartilaginous and bony fishes (over 1,000 species), marine reptiles, and marine mammals (dolphins, whales, and dugongs). Some notable species with high commercial value include sea cucumbers (Holothuria), Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), and groupers.

Accommodation on Komodo

A Limited amount of accommodation — namely simple guest houses offering few rooms — is available at Loh Liang (Komodo Island) and Loh Buaya (Rinca Island). A luxurious hotel with limited capacity is currently being built in Loh Liang. Many visitors sleep in the boats that brought them to the islands. Most tourists visiting Rinca Island don't stay overnight (they come from Labuan Bajo and stay in the hotels in Labuan), while those coming to Komodo Island usually stay in their rented motorboats. Nearly all motorboats have cabins and bed rooms. Large motorboats usually have good bed rooms. Live aboard cruises are also available. For information on these check komodoliveaboard.com and komodo-diving.com

Ranger's Houses - Komodo Island: The new renovated ranger's houses in eco style accommodation, with modern facilities featuring with private bathroom, limited electric power supply, dining. Only few step to the beach of Lohliang. Ranger's houses becomes an alternative accommodation offer to visitors whom for some reasons are not able to sleep on boat.

Bajo Komodo Eco Lodge has developed environmentally friendly buildings with the use of solar power for hot water, an extensive rain water storage system, and the use of a biological sewage treatment plant where all waste water is returned to the gardens through irrigation. The Bajo Eco Lodge is under control of Iniradef non profit organization where to participate in developing the human resources on the area and also building the natural environment conservation. This program have fully accepted by locals.

Boat Accommodation from Labuan Bajo: Simple boat sleep on the deck with set mattresses, fit for a small group up to 4 peoples only, meals freshly cooked on board, mineral bottled water supplied, simple toilet.

Boat Accommodation depart from Bima: Larger boat with cabin, dining facilities and standard safety equipment available for those who are travel to Komodo via Bima. Although it takes you over 7 hours on water - the facilities promises on the boat better enough compare to those who are start from from Labuan Bajo.

Puri Komodo Resort Batu Gosok: Set on the northwest tip of Flores island of Indonesia, this location well known with Batu Gosok, secluded peninsula. 250.000 square meters of land hideaway guaranteed to thrill snorkelers, divers and adventurers. A magnificent secluded cove with over 1.000 meters of white sandy beach and a wooden jetty protruding 450 meters into the coral rich turquoise waters. Opulent sea gardens in colors of purple, yellow, blue and fuchsia blend with brightly colored tropical fish drifting aimlessly amongst the coral.

Komodo Resorts consists of 14 spacious bungalows that fit perfectly into the surrounding landscape, just a short stretch from the beach. The bungalows are made from teak wood that has been recycled or that has come from controlled plantations. Each bungalow is equipped with hot water and fans, and 8 of the deluxe bungalows also include air-conditioning and a minibar. Dive trips and live aboard cruises are also available at this resort. Komodo Resort, Tanjung Pelinta, Sebayur Island, Komodo, Manggarai Barat, Flores 86754, Tel. 62- 85 - 42095, Fax : 62 — 385 — 42094, Website: komodoresort.com

Bintang Flores Hotel is a four-star hotel in Labuan Bajo located amidst spacious grounds and overlooking a private beach. Guest rooms come equipped with a king-sized bed or twin beds, satellite TV, safety deposit box, mini-bar, IDD telephone and air-conditioning. Ground-floor rooms offer direct access to the hotel gardens, while those on the higher floors provide a spectacular view of the Flores Sea. Rates start at USD 120 — 230 per night. Bintang Flores Hotel, Jalan Pantai Pede, Labuan Bajo, Tel. 62 — 385 — 2443755, Fax : 62 — 385 — 2443762, E mail: [email protected], Website: bintangfloreshotel.com

Tips for Tourists on Komodo

Tips for visitors: 1) Don't walk alone. It is best to walk around with a ranger or guide. 2) Don't disturb or feed komodos. Despite slow and lazy movement, this animal can suddenly turn aggresive and move fast. 3) When trekking, please take a stick with you. Komodos are usually afraid when threatened with a stick. 4) Please wear shoes. Komodo, Rinca, and Padar islands have 12 types of snakes and three of them are poisonous, namely green snakes living on trees, cobras and russel's viper who live on the ground in holes on the savannas. 5) Women having their menstruation must report to a guide or ranger for special attention. Komodos have a very strong sense of smell and may turn agresive when they smell blood. 6) Please bring along your insect repellant because this area has many mosquitoes who'll be excited at the prospects of having fresh blood.

Restaurants: In Loh Liang, the KNP management (PT Putri Naga Komodo) owns a restaurant. No restaurant is available in Rinca Island, though. There is only one kiosk selling drinks and snacks. If you stay in a guest house, you will have food available with your stay. If you take a rented motorboat, your rental usually includes meals (but you have to confirm it when negotiating the rental price).

Things to Buy: At the reception in Loh Buaya and Loh Liang, there are souvenir shops selling t-shirts with komodo pictures on them and wooden komodo statues. There's not yet a shop selling a t-shirt saying, "I went to see the Komodo Dragons and all I got is this lousy T-shirt." So that's a potential market for you.

Getting to Komodo

The only ways to really get to Komodo are fly from Labuan Bajo in Flores and join a group and hire a boat for the trip to Komodo or join a package tour that arranges transport to Komodo. There may be a ferry between Pelabuhan Sape on Sumbawa and Labuan Bajo in Flores. The trip takes about eight hours and is may not be operating anymore. It used to stop in Komodo but no longer does. There is a 36-hour ferry ever two weeks between Benoa, Bali — Bima, Sumbawa — and Labuan Bajo, Flores but I don’t think that one stops in Komodo. The waters between Bali, Komodo and Flores are said to be treacherous and very hard to navigate, which may be on reason why regular ferries in the region are so infrequent. Also people on the other islands generally have no reason to go to Komodo, which is why ferries don’t stop there.

Hence organizing a boat in necessary. Some people make arrangements for a boat to Komodo in Pelabuhan Sape on Sumbawa but most do it Labuan Bajo in Flores. The trip between Labuan Bajo and Komodo takes about four hours one way. Some go to island and back in a day trip. Most stay over at least one night. The journey to Rinca takes only two hours. Some stop in Komodo as part of boat tours between Lombok and Flores. The caist for charting a boat to Komodo is around $200 for up to six people. To Rinca is about $1000. Komodo has a helicopter pad for the super rich.

Most people get a group together and hire a boat. The trip can be quite an adventure The currents around Komodo are very unpredictable. One minute the ocean is calm; the next minute the next the boat is around by large waves coming from different directions, whirpools and rip tides.. Often times when you reach you destination boat anchors far offshore and you have wade in with your luggage over our heads.

These days most people visit Komodo as part of a tour arranged in Labuan Bajo (or Bali or Lombok, but starting in Labuan Bajo). These tours are generally a boat following a set route with a captain dropping you off and picking you up at certain places. There are several different options for tour routes, and different ways yo can book the tour. If you’re going in high season (May-July) you may want to book your tour online; but if you can get to Labuan Bajo there are plenty travel agencies and street tour-vendors that can fix you up. Generally, you HAVE to book the tour at least the day as they tend to leave very early in the morning.

A day tour starts at around $30 if there are enough people on the boat. if you want to spend more time and more money there are live-aboard boats and boats that will drop you off so you can spend the night on Komodo. On a typical one day tour you hike around through desert and brush looking for Komodo dragons, which your guide will protect you from with a big forked stick. Some tours of Komodo include a three to hour hike and climb 538-meter-high Mount Ara.On Rinca island, you have to trek for about one and a half hours on designated paths. In addition to the day tour fee, you’ll also have pay the Komodo National Park fee and a fee or tip for the guide.

As for getting to Labuan Bajo, everyday, there are two to three flights from Bali to Labuan Bajo by Transnusa, IAT (Indonesia Air Transport), and Merpati. In addition, there is a twice a week flight from Kupang, Timor from which there are air connections to Australia. . Inter-island motorboats from Sape in Sumbawa and Labuan Bajo are also available everyday (when the weather permits). By daily flights between Bali and Labuan Bajo take about 90 minutes. The Trans Nusa airline daily flights to Labuan Bajo on Flores is by a small jet or turbo-prop plane carrying 50 passengers. The port in Labuan Bajo is about a 10 minute drive from the Labuan Bajo airport.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Indonesia Tourism website ( indonesia.travel ), Indonesia government websites, UNESCO, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Japan News, Yomiuri Shimbun, Compton's Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.

Updated in August 2020

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“I was attacked by a dragon and survived”

The terrifying story of the Indonesian man attacked by a komodo dragon – a man-eating reptile. This is how he fought it off but then had to face even more.

Written by Michael Turtle

Michael Turtle is the founder of Time Travel Turtle. A journalist for more than 20 years, he's been travelling the world since 2011.

Michael Turtle is the founder of Time Travel Turtle and has been travelling full time for a decade.

Updated: September 16, 2023

Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Maen still has nightmares about that morning. About those few minutes in which he almost died.

About the time he was attacked by a man-eating reptile and had to fight it off to save his life.

“I don’t like to tell more my story because when I tell again, when I’m sitting alone, I remember,” he says, softly and humbly.

“I would like to try to forget this story.”

But Maen, the quiet-spoken middle-aged Indonesian, has agreed to tell me his tale so I can share it. He thinks it’s important for people to understand the dangers of the Komodo dragons.

It was 2009 and Maen had been working here on Rinca Island in Komodo National Park as a ranger for about a year when he went into the office that morning. The small wooden building in the main camp looked the same as usual and he went in and sat at the desk. It was then he looked down.

“I saw the dragon under this table and my leg was here like this”, Maen tells me as he demonstrates how his leg was near the drawers under the desk.

“I don’t use the shoes – just sandals. So after I saw the dragon I think ‘what do I do?’. But in my feeling, I have to pull my leg away.”

At the time he wasn’t thinking about how the animal had ended up inside. As it later turned out, a cleaner had left the door open and the Komodo dragon had come in overnight looking for food. Clearly it had now found what it was looking for.

“I think that if I not pull my leg, the dragon will bite and swallow”, Maen goes on.

“So I tried to pull my leg but the dragon follow and I look and see a tail moving over there. And I think this is a problem for me. And I pull my leg too fast and it got trapped in the table and then the dragon bite.”

The dragon didn’t let go. With its mouth clenched shut, teeth ripping into his flesh, Maen had to think fast.

He put his other foot onto the neck of the dragon, pinning it down slightly. Then using his hands, he grabbed the animal’s mouth and pulled it open.

He managed to pull his leg free from its jaws – but one of his hands got bitten in the struggle.

During all of this he had managed to shout out for help. The camp the rangers live in is quite small but most of them were in the kitchen and couldn’t hear him. Only one person, in the cafeteria, was close enough.

“I shouted and he came to help me but he didn’t like to come up because the dragon was still moving around”, Maen explains.

“Then he saw the blood on the floor and he got everyone from the kitchen. All the people come running here, but other dragons follow along as well.”

Komodo dragons have a remarkable ability to smell blood – sometimes even kilometres away – and so they had been drawn by Maen’s injuries.

While some rangers tried to control these new arrivals, two others ran into the office to rescue their injured friend and hold off the dragon inside.

“So then they carry me down but there were lots of dragons down here”, he recalls.

“There were about seven dragons, all bigger, waiting there. One other friend pushed away all the dragons with a stick. Then they took me to a jetty and go to Flores Island and get medicine in the hospital.”

Maen was taken to hospital at Flores Island, a short boat journey away, before being flown to Bali where he had six hours of emergency treatment.

He stayed in hospital there for seven days and then was flown back to Flores Island where he had six months of recovery.

Now, just a couple of years later, he’s still working on Rinca Island in the middle of the Komodo National Park. An island with thousands of Komodo dragons living in the wild.

“My boss said ‘what about you? do you want to work here or another place?’ and I say ‘no problem’”

But it’s not really ‘no problem’. Maen only works inside now so he doesn’t have to deal with the animals directly.

He can’t write for too long, though, because his hand still gets so sore from the injuries.

He has a respect for the dragon, telling me, “the dragon – he’s an animal but he’s thinking like people.”

And he knows it is still out there somewhere, potentially circling the camp on any day.

“The dragon, I can’t remember which one, he’s still alive”, Maen says,” but I think now he’ll be bigger. If he had a bigger neck then, I couldn’t have hold it open.”

And that could have been the difference between life and death. Let’s hope they never come face to face again.

Time Travel Turtle was a guest of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own.

53 thoughts on ““I was attacked by a dragon and survived””

I hadn’t realised they were so dangerous! Sends shivers down your spine.

Oh my, they are certainly dangerous! They would probably prefer to eat a deer or a buffalo – but they’re happy with a human if that’s what is around!!

Oh man, they look so cuddly, these little dinosaurs – I could have imagined that they would attack humans when they feel threatened, but not that they regard them as potential food source. Well, this teaches once again to keep your distance – a precaution of which the meaning has been kinda lost to our society after all the Disney movies;) Animals think and react differently to us – and rightfully so. I remember that story of a kid in Australia being killed by a croc, and when it was found (the croc), the child’s parents spoke out against killing it, because it just did what’s in its’ nature. It didn’t think: “Today I’m gonna destroy a family”, it just looked for something to eat and found it. I think people often humanize animals too much which only leads to, sorry, crap. I’m still really impressed with the parents; I think that was very big of them. Anyway, I’m glad Maen is okay – I really love this sort of article where you ‘meet’ real people from all over the world and get a feel for who they are by listening to a story out of their life! Thank you, Michael, great post:)!

I’m sure they are cuddly. And I’m sure you could go and give one a little hug if you wanted. You might want to then get yourself quickly to hospital so you didn’t die from the bacteria in their saliva. I’m sure Maen could give you some advice.

I, too, am most impressed with those parents! They were intelligent and open minded enough to understand that the crocodile was just doing what crocodiles do. He did not kill the child because he was evil, he was hungry and needed to eat. A small child is just like a deer or any type of small mammal in that crocodile’s eyes. The only mammal that kills because they are evil is a human! The most dangerous one of all!

I guess I didn’t realize that komodo dragons see people as a source of food and would just attack. What a brave man to continue working on the island after an experience like that. Thanks for sharing his story!

I know – so brave! I would be straight out of there and off to a job serving cocktails on a beach somewhere!

Crazy story…I will never sit down at my desk without checking underneath again!

Are there many man-eating reptiles in your office? 🙂

Great. Now I’m paranoid about what’s lurking under the plastic table I’m calling my “desk” today…Great lede. Scary story but probably a necessary cautionary tail. I mean tale. Apparently you’re not the only one who’s got a few bad jokes in them…

Tail – boom tish! 🙂 I wouldn’t be too paranoid… unless you happen to be in Komodo National Park, that is…

Wow, what an interesting story Maen has to tell. I really got goose bumps reading about the other dragons being attracted by the smell of blood. Scary.

Yeah, that’s one of the scariest bits. If the other rangers hadn’t been there then he could’ve had seven or eight of the things attacking him at once. You would not stand a chance!

Yeah, 7 dragons closing in for the kill? That would give me nightmares later too. Especially knowing that “the one” is still out there somewhere…

If I was Maen, I would be looking each of them closely in the eye trying to work out which one it was. I feel like this feud is not over yet! 🙂

Jeepers – the bit about heading outside to find more dragons circling was probably the worst! They don’t look exactly cuddly…

No, cuddly is certainly not how I would describe them. Just when you’ve fought off one of them, it would be terrifying to then be faced with another whole group of dragons!

This is absolutely horrifying. The poor guy — but glad he was willing to share his story. I can’t believe they could smell the blood like that and that so many came and so quickly!

That’s how the Komodo dragons stalk their prey. Often they will just bite another animal and then follow it (by smelling its blood) until it dies. Creepy!

And they you all were running around between them snapping photos. Damn could have killed off some of the competition!

You joke – but it was a bit scary. I would be concentrating on taking a shot and then look up to see a dragon had come up behind me. Thankfully the rangers were there and wouldn’t let them get close. But you never know…!

Poor chap! I think a lot of people have the impression that komodos are like over-sized geckos, but really they can maim and kill if pushed to it. Great writing!

Once you’ve come this close to them, you’ll never call one a gecko again. When they rush suddenly, and you’re just a couple of metres away, it really gets the adrenaline pumping!

Not a situation I would want to be in. I’ve been stung by a jellyfish but not quite the same. Komodo dragons are fascinating creatures and that element of death makes them intriguing. Glad Maen didn’t die but not sure I would still want to work there.

I think you would have to be a certain type of person to work there in the first place – probably the kind of person who would go back after an attack!

Uncanny, I read this story after watching the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, where they had a Komodo dragon scene.

I’ve heard about that! It sounds like a cool scene. I can’t wait to see it!

What a crazy story! Glad he’s ok!

He seems to be doing ok. Although the whole thing clearly still rattles him a bit.

He’s a lucky man, good job help arrived before the rest of the dragons.

I would hate to think about what would happen if nobody else was around. They have a rule in the camp that people aren’t allowed to sleep outside in case the dragons are about. I guess everyone is watching out for each other to a certain extent.

But i think komodo dragon is funny !

I don’t think it would be so funny when one of them is racing towards you trying to take a bite out of your leg!

This is an incredibly well written story, Michael. I could imagine the entire scene in my head while I was reading. Good job!

It must have been terrifying for poor Maen. I hope that came across!

Woow ! You’ve visited many countries including Indonesia ! I am Indonesian and I’m so happy that you wrote about my country ! 🙂

I loved Indonesia. Such a beautiful country with such a variety of things to offer! I can’t wait to go back and explore more of it as soon as possible.

Hello! I am Viola from Philippines. It is a nice article, I saw your blog also about your visit to Komodo Island. I am planning a trip there because its in my bucket list to see up close this timeless creatures. Any advise? what to wear during the trip and what to bring? and how much did it cost the trip there =) thank you for sharing!

Hi Viola. You’ll love Komodo – and it’s not really too far for you to get there either, which is very lucky! In terms of what to wear, good sturdy shoes are important but beyond that just whatever you are comfortable in. You’ll probably want some sunscreen too and some insect repellent in case. The trip prices can vary depending on exactly how you want to do it. I would recommend at least two days – and there are lots of trips leaving from Flores that can offer that. The best thing is to have a look online a some Komodo packages leaving from Flores and find something that suits your style.

I can’t believe that guy still went back after that horrific experience. Knowing how dangerous those dragons are, i myself wouldnt even dare to visit Komodo Island.

Really great article about a really great place to see – i rate Komodo national park (with dragons, snorkelling with manta rays & basking on the pink beach) as one of the best travel destinations (ever)…

What did they use to cure this komodo bite?

To be honest, I’m not sure. He had a lot of treatment in hospital but am not sure of the exact details, I’m afraid.

Very quickly this web page will be famous among all blogging and site-building people, due to it’s good articles

I understand Michael’s fear. I came across a Komodo in one of the Sunda Strait Islands. I was coming back, along with a few friends from a hike on the Krakatoa volcano. We had decided to have lunch on the island when suddenly we saw a 1,5 meters long komodo approaching. It obviouly was attracted by our hamburgers and fruits. We were more frightful by this animal than by the active volcano !

I love animals and I am interested in learning all about different animals hope to learn more. did the Komodo dragon bite hurt?

The Komodo dragon bite hurts A LOT!! But what is even worse than the pain of the bite is the infection that it causes (and would kill you within a couple of days).

It hurts more than you could imagine – their venom contains a component just for that purpose called AVIT, which induces hyperalgesia. Google what that means… https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17vk7XNSBPgCr026LtFjCzY3KjWzvinzB

Oops, that was a link to my research archive on monitor lizards.. Here’s the relevant article I intended to share. 🙂 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ELYpzVQG7FS7C2cKVnIy4N6-AtPmYDfO/view?usp=sharing

Hi, there I know how you feel a Copple of years back while my brother Jay was in the Navy with the boot camp training we had his cat Leeroy ,he got out one day and I wanted too look for him, well sadly I got attacked by one ,and if it was not for James my hubby, he found me all scratched -up from the dragon , I hope that I will never re-live that moment ever again.

Did you get komodo dragon antivenom mean? because komodo dragons are venomous.

8. Virgin Births Are Possible In Komodo Dragons -

Komodo dragon females do not always need to mate with a male to give birth. Researchers found that two of these dragon females living in captivity in Europe laid viable eggs without insemination from a male. The process of offspring production without fertilization by a male is called parthenogenesis. However, this phenomenon is visible in only 0.1% of vertebrates, a process unexpected in an animal as complex as a Komodo dragon.

7. Komodo Attacks On Humans Can Prove Fatal -

Although rare, attacks by this lizard have claimed a few lives in both captivity and the wild. According to a source from Komodo National Park, 24 attacks by Komodo dragons including 5 fatal ones were reported between 1974 and 2012. In 1974, a Swiss tourist who disappeared in Komodo Island is believed to have been killed and eaten by these lizards. In 2009, a local man died after he was killed by two dragons when he fell from a tree.

6. Komodo Appearances Can Be Deceptive -

Although the Komodo dragons appear massive and bulky, they can run surprisingly fast. At full speed, the animal can run at around 12 miles per hour while the average human springs at only 15 miles per hour. So, it is better to run as fast as possible if caught in front of an approaching Komodo dragon.

5. Komodo Dragons Kill Prey With Venom -

The Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) battle for prey.

In the past, it was believed that highly potent bacteria present in the saliva of Komodo dragons killed their prey by infection and toxic shock. However, recently scientists have discovered that it is not the bacteria but the venom produced by the Komodo dragons that are lethal to their prey. These lizards are ambush predators. They lie in wait for an unsuspecting animal to pass by, pounce on it, and land a venomous bite on the prey.

4. Komodo dragons Are Ultimate Predators -

The Komodo dragon is designed to be the perfect predator. It has about 60 curved, serrated teeth that can be up to 2.5 cm in length, and a yellow, forked tongue. Its skin is reinforced by armored scales bearing tiny bones called osteoderms that makes it function like a chain-mail. The heavy armor makes the lizard nearly untouchable, the ultimate predator in its ecosystem. The natural armor is absent in juveniles but becomes more powerful with age to aid in defense.

With their special adaptations, these dragons become fierce hunters that can consume prey as large as a water buffalo. They can also eat 80% of their body weight in one feeding.

3. Komodo Metabolism Is Unlike Other Lizards -

The Komodo dragon's high speed and endurance are more than that of any lizard. Scientists believe they have discovered the secret to these impressive features of the Komodo dragon. These cold-blooded predators have several genetic adaptations that alter their mitochondrial activity to match that of mammals.

2. Komodo Dragons Are Known To Cannibalize Their Young -

In the absence of other prey or even under normal circumstances, adult Komodos might make a snack out of a young of their own species. Thus, soon after hatching, young Komodos climb trees to avoid being eaten by their own kind. They start living on the ground once they have attained a length of around 4 feet and those that survive can look forward to a long life of around 3 decades. To avoid being eaten by the adults, the young Komodos are also known to roll in fecal matter thereby picking up odor that the adults are likely to avoid.

1. Despite All Their Might, The Komodos Have Fallen Prey To Humans -

Despite its extreme survival skills and adaptations, the Komodo dragon is a vulnerable species. These animals generally tend to avoid humans and shy away from human presence. They do not attack unless provoked but some anecdotal claims of unprovoked attacks exist. Instead, humans pose a greater threat to this species. Illegal poaching of the dragons, restricted habitat, depletion of prey, and tourism pressures threatens them. They do not thrive in captivity where they become susceptible to numerous infections. Thus, it is important to keep Komodo dragon habitats safe and protect the species against other threats.

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(CNN) -- An Indonesian fisherman has been killed by Komodo dragons after he was attacked while trespassing on a remote island in search of fruit, officials said Tuesday.

Komodo dragons kill their prey with an extremely toxic bite.

Muhamad Anwar, 32, bled to death on his way to hospital after being mauled by the reptiles at Loh Sriaya, in eastern Indonesia's Komodo National Park, the park's general manager Fransiskus Harum told CNN.

"The fisherman was inside the park when he went looking for sugar-apples. The area was forbidden for people to enter as there are a lot of wild dragons," Harum said.

Other fisherman took Anwar to a clinic on nearby Flores Island, east of Bali, but he was declared dead on arrival, he added.

Komodo dragons, the world's heaviest lizards, can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in length and have a toxic bite that they use to kill prey such as buffalo, returning to feast when the animal succumbs to the poison.

Despite their ungainly appearance, the carnivorous reptiles can run as fast as a dog in short bursts, jump up on their hind legs, and kill animals with a blow of their powerful tails.

Attacks on humans are rare, but Monday's incident is the latest in a series in which the monster lizards -- which have forked tongues and fearsome claws --have killed or injured people.

Last month a park ranger survived after a Komodo dragon climbed the ladder into his hut and savaged his hand and foot. In 2007 an eight-year-old boy died after being mauled.

Divers battled Komodo dragon before rescue

In June last year, a group of divers who were stranded on an island in the national park -- the dragons' only natural habitat -- had to fend off several attacks from the reptiles before they were rescued.

Park rangers also tell the cautionary tale of a Swiss tourist who vanished leaving nothing but a pair of spectacles and a camera after an encounter with the dragons several years ago.

An endangered species, Komodo are believed to number less than 4,000 in the wild. Access to their habitat is restricted, but tourists can get permits to see them in the wild within the National Park.

All visitors are accompanied by rangers, about 70 of whom are deployed across the park's 60,000 hectares of vegetation and 120,000 hectares of ocean.

Despite a threat of poachers, Komodo dragon numbers are believed to have stabilized in recent years, bolstered by successful breeding campaigns in captivity.

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Indonesia Dispatch

Here There Be Dragons. But Can They Survive an Invasion of Tourists?

By Hannah Beech

Aug. 12, 2019

KOMODO NATIONAL PARK, Indonesia — The Komodo dragon , a 10-foot lizard native only to a scattering of islands in Indonesia, flicked its forked tongue. Two boys were standing nearby, the perfect size for dragon snacks.

A local guide shrugged at their unease and urged them closer to the reptile.

Komodo dragons resemble dinosaurs that missed their cue for extinction. Capable of smelling blood from miles away, they eat water buffaloes, deer and one another. Their saliva is laced with venom. Females are unsentimental enough to devour their own freshly hatched offspring.

Fatal attacks on humans are exceedingly rare, though they do happen . But the oversize lizard lounging near the two young tourists had just gorged on chicken and goat, and was lolling in the kind of digestive stupor Americans might experience after Thanksgiving.

It was safe, the guide promised, for a family photograph with the alpha predator, one of only about 3,000 dragons left in the world.

Tourists come to Komodo National Park, which stretches across a volcanic explosion of islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, because of the dragons and also for the vibrant sea life that lets snorkelers and scuba divers share the water with turtles and rays.

But like other tourist destinations around the world, from Venice to the Galápagos , the park is at risk of being wrecked by its own popularity. The inundation of tourists is threatening the very animals and pristine beauty drawing them there.

While Komodo tourism generates significant cash for one of Indonesia’s poorest regions, it has also brought piles of trash, human encroachment and occasional lizard smuggling.

Detail area

Labuan Bajo

EAST NUSA TENGGARA

Some environmentalists worry that the stampede of visitors has set the ecosystem off kilter. Dragons, they say, should survive on wild deer and pigs, not chickens and goats tossed from the back of a truck by a ranger.

Over all, the number of foreign tourists who visited the entire national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, has doubled since 2015, and the number of domestic visitors has increased fivefold. The park is now on the cruise ship circuit, with thousands of people disembarking each day.

Concerned about the onslaught of visitors in this far-flung part of Indonesia, provincial leaders want to close the island of Komodo, where the largest population of dragons lives — and where the cruise ships dock — in January 2020. The island would be off-limits for at least a year.

Forgoing all that tourist revenue is no easy call for such a poor region, but officials say it is essential for the park’s future.

“If we don’t give the dragons their habitat, they will be extinct within the next 50 to 100 years,” said Yosef Nae Soi, the deputy governor of East Nusa Tenggara Province, which includes the islands that make up Komodo National Park.

But the plan may be thwarted by the Indonesian national government, which will make a final decision this year, officials from the national Ministry of Environment and Forestry say.

And even as local officials aim to close the island of Komodo, the national government has unveiled a plan to create 10 “new Balis” across the archipelago nation. It hopes to mimic the success of Indonesia’s most famous holiday isle, which faces its own severe overtourism.

“Indonesia needs to diversify its tourism destinations,” said Guntur Sakti, a spokesman for the national Ministry of Tourism.

One of the 10 “new Balis” is Labuan Bajo, a scruffy port town on the nearby island of Flores that is the gateway to Komodo National Park.

So far, the town’s main pier is still mostly occupied with local commerce. Boy stevedores heft bags of instant noodles and dried fish onto wooden boats. Glimmering fish dart past, and children take turns pushing one another off the dock.

But Labuan Bajo is being transformed, its once picturesque bay now a giant construction site, as the half-finished hulks of luxury hotels destined for dragon-spotters and divers rise in front of primordial jungle. The smell of wet concrete and construction dust mixes with the aroma of clove cigarettes and fried bananas.

Plastic bags float in the clear water, like mutant jellyfish.

“It’s changing, and that’s good for people like me,” said Sirilus Harmin, a guide who left his mountain home for new opportunities in Komodo National Park.

Working as the guides who lead walks in the dragon habitat, or operating souvenir stalls, are two of the few options the locals now have to get by since their traditional fishing and hunting ways were curtailed when the national park was formed in 1980.

But most of the $300 million in tourism dollars spent in the region does not reach locals, said Shana Fatina, director of the tourism authority board for Labuan Bajo, which is trying to make sure more of the spending flows into the pockets of those who live in the region.

“We don’t want the communities to just be an accessory, we want them to be the main focus,” Ms. Shana said. “We want to educate the public that going to Komodo National Park is not like going to an amusement park.”

The Himalayan nation of Bhutan has avoided some of the ills of mass tourism by imposing high daily spending minimums, an effective if elitist solution that ensures that only the wealthy can experience the country’s charms. Some provincial officials in Komodo think that the price of meeting the world’s largest lizard should be increased to at least $500, up from the approximately $10 admission charge to the park today.

“Komodo has to have its prestige,” said Mr. Yosef, the deputy governor. “This is the only place in the world with Komodo dragons, so don’t sell them cheap.”

And if Bhutan offers one possible approach on controlling, and rarefying, crowds, another Asian country has already experimented with barring all visitors to a popular site of natural beauty. The early results are promising.

Last year in Thailand, tourism authorities closed off Maya Bay, a cliff-ringed beach that gained fame as the site of the Leonardo DiCaprio film “The Beach.” Much of the Technicolor coral reef had been destroyed by the thousands of tourists who descended each day.

Already, sharks have returned to Maya Bay and coral is regenerating, Thai park officials say. The marine reserve will be closed for up to five years.

If the island of Komodo is closed, the decision will affect not just the humans who wish to visit but also the humans who have lived among the dragons for centuries. They should be relocated, local authorities say.

Legend holds that these villagers — about 1,700 live on the island today — share the same ancestors as the dragons. Residents say the reptiles do not bother them much because of this ancient bond.

But Mr. Yosef, the provincial deputy governor, seems unsympathetic to the human inhabitants of Komodo. “Komodo Island is for the Komodo dragon,” he said. “The Komodo need a spacious place to live where there are no humans.”

And if people refuse to leave the island that has been their home for generations?

“If we have warned them and they do not listen, it’s their own fault if the Komodo eat them,” Mr. Yosef said. “It is our offering to the Komodo.”

Follow Hannah Beech on Twitter: @hkbeech

Muktita Suhartono contributed reporting from Jakarta, Indonesia.

Komodo dragon kills boy, 8, in Indonesia

A Komodo dragon attacked and killed an 8-year-old boy in eastern Indonesia, the first recorded deadly attack on a human by one of the giant lizards in 33 years, a national park spokesman said Monday.

The boy was mauled when he went to go to the bathroom behind a bush Saturday on Komodo island, Heru Rudiharto said.

“The Komodo bit him on his waist and tossed him viciously from side to side,” Rudiharto said.

“A fishermen, who just happened to be the boy’s uncle, threw rocks at the lizard until it let the boy go and fled,” he said. “The boy died from massive bleeding half an hour later.”

Komodos, the world’s largest lizards, are only found in the wild in a small archipelago in eastern Indonesia. Fewer than 4,000 survive.

Rudiharto said the lizards had been living side-by-side with the 1,200 people on Komodo with no fatal incident for 33 years.

“Perhaps the lizards’ natural prey has decreased because we are entering the dry season and there has been too much deer hunting,” he said.

Komodos can grow to a length of 10 feet and weigh up to 365 pounds.

Thousands of tourists visit Komodo each year to see the lizards in their natural habitat. They are normally shown around the arid and rocky island by guides who carry large, forked sticks to ward of the lizards.

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Travel & Leisure

Naturalist Guide Hospitalized After Being Attacked by Komodo Dragon in Indonesia’s National Park

Kompas.com Go News

Naturalist guide hospitalized after being attacked by komodo dragon in indonesia’s national park.

LABUAN BAJO, KOMPAS.com – An naturalist guide of the Komodo National Park on Flores island in Indonesia was attacked by a komodo dragon recently.

The incident occurred in late September when the man known as Anton was on duty at the Loh Buaya tourist location on Rinca island, one of the three largest islands in the Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara province. Loh Buaya is also known as the main habitat of the Komodo dragon on Rinca island.

The Head of the Komodo National Park Lukita Awang confirmed that the incident happened on Tuesday, September 28 at about 4.50 pm local time. Anton was in charge of keeping the Komodo dragons away from a construction site where workers are building some tourism facilities and infrastructure development projects in the Loh Buaya Resort. But, when he was monitoring the Komodo dragons, he suddenly fell.

Also read : Indonesia’s Gili Lawa in Komodo National Park to Reopen Aug. 1

“As he was falling, a Komodo dragon quickly attacked and bit him on the thigh,” said Awang in a press statement on Wednesday, October 6.

Anton suffered an injury as he was using his left hand to remove the jaws of the Komodo dragon. The national park service rangers and other naturalist guides came to rescue him. Then he was released by the Komodo dragon and was given first aid for his wounds.

“Our team continued to monitor his wounds while waiting to be picked up at the Loh Buaya Resort,” he said.

Anton was immediately brought to a hospital in Labuan Bajo for further treatment after a speedboat arrived in the Komodo National Park at about 5.30 local time.

He was immediately given intensive treatment once arriving at the hospital at 6.30 pm local time. “We continue to monitor Anton’s condition,” Awang said.

(Writer: Nansianus Taris | Editor: Dheri Agriesta)

Source: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/10/07/071413278/seorang-naturalist-guide-digigit-komodo-menderita-luka-di-paha?page=all#page2 .

Tag Naturalist Guide Hospitalized After Being Attacked by Komodo Dragon Loh Buaya is also known as the main habitat of the Komodo dragon Komodo National Park tourism Indonesia

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There are an estimated 3,400 Komodo dragons left in the wild, living on 5 islands dubbed Indonesia's 'Jurassic Park'

Known for their size, sharp teeth, and long tongues, Komodo dragons are only found on a few remote, volcanic islands in Southeast Asia.

A Komodo dragon prowls the shore of Komodo Island.Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images

Komodo dragons are only found in one remote area across several volcanic islands in Indonesia.
The reptiles are powerful carnivores. They can smell blood from miles away and move up to 12 mph.
There are only an estimated 1,400 adult Komodo dragons and 2,000 juveniles remaining in the wild.

Back in the early 1990s, rumors circulated about the existence of gigantic reptiles discovered on the islands by Western scientists. Since then, Indonesia has been promoting the area as a tourist destination.

Now, with tourist numbers predicted to grow exponentially in coming decades along with climate change, wild Komodo dragons may be at risk.

Here's a look at Komodo National Park.

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Boy of 8 killed in Komodo dragon attack

by RICHARD SHEARS

Last updated at 23:09 04 June 2007

A giant lizard with poisonous saliva has dragged off and killed a boy of eight.

The child was with his uncle mending fishing nets when he was attacked by a 10ft, 15-stone Komodo Dragon.

It clawed his right leg, bit him in the stomach with its serrated teeth and shook him in an attempt to break his neck.

His uncle and other men pelted the creature with rocks until it released the boy, who was bleeding heavily and unconscious.

But before a boat could be arranged to take him from Komodo Island, Indonesia, to a doctor, he had died of his injuries.

Even if he had survived the initial attack, say experts, he would have been killed by blood poisoning from the bacteria in the saliva.

The Komodo Dragon, which has evolved only slightly over the last 100million years, is the world's largest lizard. About 3,000 remain on Komodo and neighbouring islands east of Bali.

It can sprint at 15mph and its usual prey are monkeys, wild deer and rats. While attacks on humans are extremely rare, a local story persists of a Swiss tourist who vanished while on an expedition to photograph the creatures in the wild a decade ago. His binoculars and ragged clothing were found in the jungle.

In 1974, an elderly European tourist, Baron Rudolf von Reding Biberegg, fell and injured his knee on a hiking trip on Komodo island. His guide returned to a village to seek help. All the search party found was the man's hat, camera and a bloodstained shoe.

In 2001, the husband of movie star Sharon Stone was bitten on the foot by a Komodo while on a private visit to Los Angeles Zoo. Phil Bronstein, 50, needed surgery to reattach tendons and rebuild his big toe, plus a massive dose of antibiotics to avert septicaemia.

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Komodo dragon attacks tourist in Indonesia

A komodo dragon has attacked a tourist at a national park in indonesia..

A Komodo dragon has attacked a tourist in Indonesia. Source: AAP

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Komodo dragon attack leaves tourist with severe injuries

THIS is why you should always trust a tour guide. A man has been left with severe injuries because he decided to go out on his own.

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A TOURIST who refused to pay for a tour guide was mauled by a fearsome Komodo dragon in Indonesia.

Lon Lee Alle, 50, from Singapore, ventured alone into a secluded area to watch the wild beasts gorging on goats and pigs in West Manggarai, Indonesia, The Sun reports.

He is said to have ignored warnings not to get too close to the prehistoric looking creatures and crept up on one to take pictures.

But one of the Komodo dragons — believed to have been about 2.5m — clearly thought it was dinner time and pounced.

Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizard.

Shocked onlookers dragged him to safety yesterday at about 8am local time.

Horrific pictures taken by a tour guide show blood pouring from the wound on Mr Alle’s leg as he is wheeled away to receive stitches at the Komodo National Park.

This is what happens when you skimp out on a tour guide. Picture: Viral Press

Officials said Mr Alle had wandered around the island on his own because he wanted to save money instead of paying for a tour guide.

“This was a pretty silly thing to do. You should be very careful near wildlife, particularly Komodo dragons,” Captain Rama Hasan said.

“The man was in pain. He was lucky there were people around to help him, or it could have been much worse.”

Singaporean tourist Lon Lee Alle was mauled by a Komodo dragon in Indonesia. Picture: Viral Press

Komodo National Park boss Sudiyono said the large lizards aren’t known to attack tourists out of the blue.

“He must have been too close. A Komodo doesn’t like to be disturbed when eating,” he said.

“This is the first incident of human being bitten by a Komodo dragon in the past five years.”

Mr Alle was treated on the island before being transferred by boat to the Siloam General Hospital.

Officials said he was very lucky and it could have been much worse. Picture: Viral Press

Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizard and have thrived in a harsh part of Indonesia for millions of years.

These prehistoric creatures are related to snakes and will eat almost anything they find from deer, pigs, water buffalo. Dragons can consume an astonishing 80 per cent of their body weight in a single meal.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.

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May 4, 2017

Komodo dragon attacks tourist in Indonesia

A Singaporean tourist who was trying to photograph a komodo dragon feasting on a goat has been attacked by one of the giant liza

A komodo dragon, one of the world's largest lizards, attacked a tourist in Indonesia who was trying to photograph the giant creatures feasting on a goat, police said Thursday.

Singaporean Loh Lee Aik, 67, was rushed to hospital with leg injuries after being pounced on by the venomous creature.

Sudiyono, the head of the Komodo National Park—islands in central Indonesia that form a protected habitat for the lizards—said it was the first attack by one of the creatures on a foreign tourist since 1974, when a visitor from abroad was killed.

Loh had been staying at a village on Komodo island before setting off in search of the lizards Wednesday.

But he failed to take a park ranger with him, something all visitors to the islands are advised to do.

"He was probably very excited taking pictures of the komodo, he didn't realise another komodo was approaching him and then he was bitten," local police spokesman Jules Abraham Abast told AFP.

"Luckily it was a small komodo that bit him."

He was given first aid at the site before being taken by boat to nearby Flores island, where he was admitted to hospital. Abast and the hospital said he was in a stable condition.

The attack happened during the Komodo mating season, which runs from May to August and is a time when the lizards are more aggressive.

Abast said Loh had failed to report his visit to authorities and urged visitors to do so in future to avoid such incidents.

Thirty people have been bitten by komodo dragons since 1974, with five of the victims dying, according to Komodo National Park authorities.

Recent research has found that the dragons' jaws have highly sophisticated venom glands that can cause paralysis, spasms and shock through haemorrhaging.

The lizards are native to several Indonesian islands, and are considered a vulnerable species, with only a few thousand left in the world.

They can grow up to three metres (10 feet) long and weigh up to 70 kilograms (154 pounds).

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IMAGES

Kisah Tragis di Pulau Komodo: Misteri Hilangnya Wisatawan Swiss oleh
Komodo Dragon attacks tourists
Tourist attacked by eight foot long Komodo dragon as beast clamped its
Man mauled to death by two Komodo Dragons after falling out of a fruit
Komodo dragon attacks tourist The 67-year-old victim was rushed to
Tourist attacked by eight foot long Komodo dragon as beast clamped its

COMMENTS

The Komodo Dragon is an All-Purpose Killing Machine
At the top of a pass, a white cross commemorates Rudolf Von Reding Biberegg, an elderly Swiss tourist who vanished in 1974, presumably killed by a Komodo dragon. "He loved nature throughout his ...
The Most Infamous Komodo Dragon Attacks of the Past 10 Years
Here are some of the most infamous attacks, as described by Mr. Safina and corroborated by media reports: A Tragic Playdate. In 2007, a dragon killed an 8-year-old boy on Komodo Island, marking ...
KOMODO DRAGONS AND HUMANS
At the top of a pass, a white cross commemorates Rudolf Von Reding Biberegg, an elderly Swiss tourist who vanished in 1974, presumably killed by a Komodo dragon. "He loved nature throughout his life," the epitaph says." = "August is the height of the breeding season and, during our visit, most Komodo dragons were defending their nests ...
KOMODO ISLAND
Up ahead, however, I knew there were dragons in the brush, possibly hungry ones. At the top of a pass, a white cross commemorates Rudolf Von Reding Biberegg, an elderly Swiss tourist who vanished in 1974, presumably killed by a Komodo dragon. "He loved nature throughout his life," the epitaph says."
"I was attacked by a komodo dragon and survived": Indonesia
Indonesia. The terrifying story of the Indonesian man attacked by a komodo dragon - a man-eating reptile. This is how he fought it off but then had to face even more. Written by Michael Turtle. Michael Turtle is the founder of Time Travel Turtle. A journalist for more than 20 years, he's been travelling the world since 2011.
8 Interesting Facts About Komodo Dragons
According to a source from Komodo National Park, 24 attacks by Komodo dragons including 5 fatal ones were reported between 1974 and 2012. In 1974, a Swiss tourist who disappeared in Komodo Island is believed to have been killed and eaten by these lizards.
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Beware of the Dragon: A Case Report of a Komodo Dragon Attack
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a carnivorous varanid lizard that is native to the islands of Indonesia. 3 They are known for being the world's largest lizard, reaching a mass of up to 90 kg and a length of 3 meters. 5 Because of their large size, these lizards feed on prey that equal or exceed their own mass, including water buffalo, pigs, and deer. 3,5 The mechanism with which ...
Here There Be Dragons. But Can They Survive an Invasion of Tourists?
Two boys were standing nearby, the perfect size for dragon snacks. A local guide shrugged at their unease and urged them closer to the reptile. Komodo dragons resemble dinosaurs that missed their ...
Komodo dragon kills boy, 8, in Indonesia
A Komodo dragon attacked and killed an 8-year-old boy in eastern Indonesia, the first recorded deadly attack on a human by one of the giant lizards in 33 years, a national park spokesman said Monday.
Naturalist Guide Hospitalized After Being Attacked by Komodo Dragon in
LABUAN BAJO, KOMPAS.com - An naturalist guide of the Komodo National Park on Flores island in Indonesia was attacked by a komodo dragon recently.. The incident occurred in late September when the man known as Anton was on duty at the Loh Buaya tourist location on Rinca island, one of the three largest islands in the Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara province.
Can Komodo Dragons survive an invasion of tourists?
The Komodo dragon, a 10-foot lizard native only to a scattering of islands in Indonesia, flicked its forked tongue. Two boys were standing nearby, the perfect size for dragon snacks. A local guide ...
There are an estimated 3,400 Komodo dragons left in the wild, living on
Komodo dragons have attacked and killed humans before, though it doesn't happen often. Since 1987, there have been 16 Komodo dragon attacks on humans and four deaths, Vice reported.In 1990, a tourist reportedly went sunbathing and was never seen again. All that was found was a camera and some sunglasses.
Boy of 8 killed in Komodo dragon attack
Last updated at 23:09 04 June 2007. A giant lizard with poisonous saliva has dragged off and killed a boy of eight. The child was with his uncle mending fishing nets when he was attacked by a 10ft ...
Tourist attacked by Komodo dragon in Indonesia
A tourist has been attacked by a Komodo dragon in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province. Park rangers said the incident was "the first in the past five years". Native to a small group of ...
Komodo dragon attacks tourist in Indonesia
A tourist from Singapore has been injured after he was attacked by a Komodo dragon at an Indonesian national park. The 50-year-old man was filming a group of Komodos eating at the Komodo National ...
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang.It is the largest extant species of lizard, with the males growing to a maximum length of 3 m (9.8 ft) and weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb).
Komodo dragon attack leaves tourist with severe injuries
A TOURIST who refused to pay for a tour guide was mauled by a fearsome Komodo dragon in Indonesia. Lon Lee Alle, 50, from Singapore, ventured alone into a secluded area to watch the wild beasts ...
Komodo dragon attacks tourist in Indonesia
They can grow up to three metres (10 feet) long and weigh up to 70 kilograms (154 pounds). A komodo dragon, one of the world's largest lizards, attacked a tourist in Indonesia who was trying to ...
The Last Dragon On Earth is Komodo
1974: A visiting Swiss tourist, Baron Rudolf Reding von Bibiregg, who disappeared on Komodo Island, may have been killed and eaten by Komodo dragons. 2001: A Komodo dragon attacked Phil Bronstein, an investigative journalist and former husband of actress Sharon Stone, in the Los Angeles Zoo. 2007: A Komodo dragon killed an 8-year-old boy on ...

The Most Infamous Komodo Dragon Attacks of the Past 10 Years

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“I was attacked by a dragon and survived”

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