By Herp News
The Komodo dragon–that giant monitor lizard inhabiting a few islands in Eastern Indonesia–is an exception. Biologically-speaking, of course, it is the world’s largest lizard, and a last survivor of monster lizards (bigger even than the Komodo) that once roamed a good portion of both Indonesia and Australia. But the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), is also an exception in conservation, both locally and globally. This became especially clear to me when I visited the islands of Flores and Komodo last spring. On arriving at the new airport in Labuan Bajo, I couldn’t help but marvel over the giant dragon replica sitting proudly for all arrivals to see. Clearly, the local government and developers were announcing the importance of dragons to the region. Many of the world’s top predators are gravely endangered and in decline. In addition, most of Indonesia’s large-bodied animals (including orangutans, elephants, rhinos and tigers) seem to be falling closer to extinction with every year that passes. But, the Komodo dragon is not. It is largely a conservation success story in a country where such examples are practically non-existent right now, and in a world where such tales for top predators are rare. So what makes the Komodo dragon different? And why have conservationists largely succeeded here when they are struggling to protect other big animals across the country? A world-class park devoted to a dragon For a long time, the Komodo dragon existed only in rumor to the wider world. Then in 1912 an intrepid Dutch army man,…
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Read more here: herpetofauna.com
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