Komodo Island

Established in 1980, Komodo National Park is home to a rare species of reptile, the Komodo Dragon.  The region, including nearby Rinca and Padar, is home to around 5700, with 1300 said to live on Komodo.  Measuring up to 11 feet and 300 pounds, this is not just another big lizard.

As a carnivorous creature, they live on the Timor deer, water buffalo and wild boar that inhabit the islands.  Their prey is killed with a single bite from their poisonous saliva.  It can take a week or more for the prey to die, so depending on the dragon's hunger, the victims may be devoured while still alive.  They feed once a month with fights over the prey common.  Despite their size, they are said to be fairly agile and good swimmers.  Smaller dragons can run 18-20 km/hr for short distances.  

While the dragons are protected, they are not artificially fed by the park service.  They mate once a year between June and August, laying between 15-30 eggs which require 9 months for gestation.  Buried in the dirt, only about 20% of the eggs survive due to the carnivorous nature of the reptile, they eat their own eggs.  They are the only predator here, so they're at the top of the food chain. 

The dragons share the 256 sq/km island with one village of 2000.  Villagers are primarily fishermen and the village has its own language.  Authorities successfully moved some islanders away, but others refused to leave unless the dragons were moved with them.  

Approaching the island feels like you may be headed into Jurassic Park.  The haunting calls of local birds followed us along our walk but stayed hidden from our view.  With high humidity and temperatures skirting near 90, the lush jungle growth provided some shade along our trail.  All walks are conducted with a National Park ranger armed with a 6-foot forked stick they use to hit the dragon on his sensitive nose if they need to control their movements away from tourists.  Visitors are warned to keep a good distance since they can also spit their saliva.  We spotted several of the dragons lumbering near a water hole along our trail.  They don't look particularly dangerous, but we were reminded over and again to keep our distance.  Numerous rangers were on hand to monitor the movement of the dragons and enthusiastic tourists who sometimes want to get a little too close for that great photo.  Maybe true and maybe just to scare us into compliance, we were told of a park guest who had recently wandered from the group and had been bitten by a dragon.  He survived but,  don't wander away from the group! 

The National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage site and biosphere reserve since 1997.

Pictures follow.

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