Komodo Island -- home to the world's rarest reptiles

By Gedsiri Suhartono

KOMODO ISLAND (JP): Locally dubbed ora, the Komodo dragon is one of the world's rarest and most primitive reptiles, its thick and freckled skin enhancing its prehistoric appearance.

It is native to a few small islands in Indonesia, i.e. Western Flores and the islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca.

The habitat of the dragon is increasingly being reduced, particularly in Flores, where the ora receives little protection.

Although a population census has been counted occasionally, accurate figures are still not available, and total population estimates vary from 800 to 2,600 reptiles.

Komodo Island is home to the largest number of Komodo dragons. The protection of the species is concentrated in the Komodo National Park, covering over 219,000 hectares of land and sea.

Outside its native home, it is estimated that 35 ora are scattered in four Indonesian zoos, as well as in Japan, Australia, Thailand, Singapore and the cities of San Diego and Madrid zoos.

Most of the world's Komodo dragons are from the wild. Until last year, the Ministry of Forestry and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), cited only two Indonesian zoos and one American zoo who have been successful in hatching ora eggs.

Since 1931, the Komodo dragon has been classified as an endangered species, but many in local communities despise the dragon for the lizards' "privileges", and the repercussions of such support.

"People's attention has only been focused on the dragon instead of on other things," Amiruddin Using, a tour guide, told The Jakarta Post.

In his opinion, the world-wide attention on the beast could have been used to boost the living conditions of the local people, as well as improving methods of transportation to the area.

A National Park employee, who requested anonymity, told the Post the Park is facing many problems with its managerial systems. "The Park needs more rangers, who need higher salaries, given the dangerous nature of the work," he said, referring to the frequent, yet uncertain chance of running into illegal hunters, shooting for deer.

The park rangers receive a monthly salary of only Rp 150,000 (US$63).

Emanuel, another park ranger, said their solitary confinement from the rest of the world makes them very appreciative of visitors' company.

"We only return home every other week," Emanuel, who has worked at the park for eight years, said.

Though traveling has been made easier with contemporary means, transportation is far from reliable. Very few flights, if they are not canceled, fly directly into Labuan Bajo.

So scarce are the flights, it's alleged influence and power is often used to remove people from the reservation list.

A visitor said she had to use her connections -- a relative in the police force -- to ensure a seat on a flight which had been canceled three times.

Ultimate predator

The Komodo dragon, or varanus komodoensis, the major predator in this ecosystem, is compared by many scientists to the Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur. It will devour every animal present in the Park if able, including large beasts such as buffalo, deer and boar.

The master of ambush, it smells with its tongue, locating its prey with remarkable accuracy.

The largest predator on earth, to some the Komodo dragon is vile, as well as cunning. Its nasty bite usually spreads a deadly bacteria, known to kill the prey it attacks, regardless of size.

A dragon's deadly nip will subject a buffalo to 15 days of agonizing pain, dying slowly. When the smell of death permeates the air, the community of dragons will be drawn out of their hiding places, to feast on the rotting carcass. Sharing is no problem.

This ultimate carnivore sometimes eats even its own offspring. If an immature lizard can survive the first eight years of life, then it will most likely succeed as a mature adult.

An average size of an adult dragon can reach a length of over three meters, and may weigh up to 60 kilograms.

Despite its islands of origin, the dragon's greatest flaw lies in its inability to endure heat. During hot days, they need to rest under the shade to keep their body temperature down.

Don't be deceived by the dragon's indifferent appearance as they laze in the shade, or sleep under a tree to stay away from the high temperatures. Despite its size and weight, a ora can run on four legs at a speed of 30 km/hour, and can eat up to 80 percent of their body weight at one meal.

Park rangers said some scientists have watched a 42-kilogram- dragon devour a 30-kilogram boar carcass in 17 minutes.

Living side-by-side with residents of the Kampung Komodo, the unabashed opportunists often prey on unguarded chickens and goats. Dragons are survivors, and in times of hardship they can change from being predators to scavengers.

So far, about nine people have been slain by the dragon -- none of them from local villages.

Until three years ago, many tourists at the National Park could watch the dragon consume a meal by paying the price for a goat. The Park management has, however, stopped this dodgy practice, because many Komodo dragons become too used to the handouts, and refuse to hunt on their own.

Sex

It is difficult to tell one dragon's sex apart from another -- not even the dragons can tell their kind apart.

To copulate, a male dragon initiates a wrestling match with other dragons. If the defeated dragon is a male, he will lie still, facing reptilian humiliation due of its inability to conquer, and thereby will not earn a female's approval for intercourse. The ritual battle will often see the vanquished partly paralyzed for a short period, due to the intensity of the fight.

The attacker knows his opponent is a female dragon when he continues to feel her resistance, despite apparent signs of losing. He will then rub his head on hers, waiting for her to lift her tail, allowing the male dragon to impregnate her.

Laying her eggs one month after fertilization, a mother dragon will guard the nest, possibly by fasting for a three-month period, to ensure no other mother dragon is attracted to the mound of eggs, buried 12 feet under.

Outcasts from another era, many mysteries of the dragon are yet to be revealed. Local residents believe the dragon was the reincarnation of a handicapped boy, abandoned in the forest. His older sister, who never forgot her sibling, returned to the island some years later, and instantaneously thought of her brother on first seeing the dragon.

Some villagers still offer food to the dragon, emulating the sister's act when she first viewed the creature.