DefenDing the Dragons

The government takes the plight of the Komodos’ giant inhabitants seriously

The world-famous site where the famous giant Komodo Dragon lizards can be found will be closed to the public starting in January 2020. After a series of meetings with island officials, the natural resources director general of the Environment and Forestry Ministry said that the decision to protect and maintain the only natural habitat of these unique reptiles has been decided.

“The meeting concluded that Komodo Island will be closed in January 2020,” said Marius Jelamu, East Nusa Tenggara administration’s spokesperson. The need to close the island to the public was triggered by an attempt to smuggle 41 Komodo Dragons out of the country to allegedly be sold abroad for Rp 500m each. The closed period will be for the duration of one year during which the main focus will be on ensuring the lizards’ food supply, as well as focusing on breeding so that the population sees an increase. There are also plans to beautify Komodo island by planting more endemic trees.