Kathy Marks, The Independent 4 Sep 08;
The legendary Komodo dragon, a giant carnivorous lizard that feasts on water buffalo, and occasionally even attacks humans, is disappearing from its limited habitat, according to zoologists.
The dragons, which grown to 10ft long and weigh as much as 26 stone, are found only on Komodo and a handful of neighbouring islands in central Indonesia. Already endangered, their numbers are dwindling as a result of habitat destruction and hunting of their prey.
A recent expedition by Indonesian and American zoologists found that the formidable creatures, a protected species, have vanished from one of the smaller islands, Padar. On two other small islands, Nusa Kode and Gili Motang, the populations have dropped to 75 and 115 respectively.
Jeri Imansyah, a member of the team, told Indonesia's Tempo magazine: “The theoretical threshold in determining that a species is on the way to extinction is the presence of less than 100 individuals in its population.”
Komodos, the world's biggest monitor lizards, have a ferocious reputation. Heavily-built, with a powerful tail, massive claws and razor-sharp teeth, they periodically attack local people. However, the only fatal incident in more than three decades occurred last year, when an eight-year-boy was mauled and later died of his wounds.
In June a group of divers including three Britons spent two days fighting off dragons after they were stranded on Rinca island. The reptiles retreated only when they were pelted with rocks.
The dragons' favourite prey is goats, wild boar, buffalo, and above all deer. One bite can be fatal, as their saliva contains dozens of species of poisonous bacteria - a result of them feeding on rotting animal carcasses. They often kill their prey by wounding it first, then waiting for septicaemia to set in.
On Padar island, deer and boar have been wiped out by hunters, according to Ramang Isaka, head of management at the Komodo National Park. He told Tempo that as recently as 2000, dragons were abundant on the island. But none remain. “Total extinction,” Mr Isaka said. “There's no komodo excrements found any more on Padar.”
Tree-felling is another reason that dragons are in decline, experts believe. They need forests to shelter from the sun, and young dragons climb trees to escape from cannibalistic adults. While taking refuge in the branches, they survive by eating insects, birds' eggs, geckos and small lizards. “The species spends about 80 per cent of its time in the forests,” said Mr Jeri.
Gili Motang and Nusa Kode lie within the national park, but are isolated and rarely visited by rangers. Mr Jeri said he had seen fishermen chopping down trees there in order to build a fire and cook their catch.
The larger islands, Komodo and Rinca, are each still home to more than 600 dragons, which are a major tourist attraction. But on Flores, which lies outside the national park, they have disappeared from the east coast, which once had a healthy population, and have declined in other areas. Recent surveys suggest that total dragon numbers may be fewer than 3,000.
There are Komodo dragons in captivity around the world, including at London Zoo, where they were introduced as part of a conservation breeding programme. Highly unusually, females are able to reproduce without their eggs being fertilised by sperm. Zoologists from London and San Diego have played a leading role in studying and monitoring the creatures in the wild.
On Nusa Kode and Gili Motang, the giant lizards have adapted to their environment. With few large mammals present, they eat rodents and geckos. Generally, they grow to a smaller size than average.
The Zoological Society of London has urged Indonesia to ban deer hunting and slash-and-burn farming, in order to arrest the dragons' decline, according to Tempo. It also wants them to be monitored more closely on the smaller islands.
