The Dragons of Komodo

Waterlogged Date: 4/10/97

An interesting excursion I took while aboard the Baruna Adventurer was to visit the fabled Komodo dragons. Sounds like the newest pro football franchise. Well, it is a visit to the living relatives of the dinosaurs, the largest species of monitor lizard in the world. These lizards are found only on Komodo and nearby Rinca Island. They can grow to ten feet long and are fierce and wily predators, feeding on deer, goats, wild pigs, and whatever else they can catch. This even includes the occasional unwary human. The visit began at about eight in the morning, taking the inflatables ashore to Loh Liang, scattering a herd of deer from the beach. Then a short walk to the park visitors center, where a modest fee was collected (included in the Adventurer cruise) and a park guide acquainted us with the park and then he picked up his forked anti-dragon stick and we set off for about a 30 minute walk to the former feeding station at Banunggulung. The dragons are no longer fed, as it is believed they will live longer and be healthier if forced to fend for themselves. They are territorial though, and we still had six adult dragons come up to visit. Visitors are not allowed to leave the center without a guide, and we passed signs which reminded us why. The dragons are dangerous. A deer was pulled down and eaten right in the visitor center in sight of the restaurant the day before our visit. The dragons are where you find them. We visited in latter March, at the end of the rainy season. The brush was thick and green along the trail, obscuring the view. Ora wait in ambush for their prey along trails, so the guide was watching the grass and weeds which grew right up to the sides of the narrow trail to be sure one of his charges did not get a nasty surprise. I visited the park on my first Adventurer cruise last May. The plant growth was thinner and we saw both deer and dragons on the walk to the feeding station. None this time, but our guide pointed out a nesting mound of a Megapode, a large, very shy, ground dwelling and nearly flightless bird which makes a large, mounded compost heap in which to lay its eggs. Dragons raid these mounds for eggs. Also he showed us burrows dug into a creek bank by dragons, which the cold-blooded reptiles use both for shelter from the heat of the day and the cool temperatures at night. During the wet season they are unoccupied. Komodo has lots of other wildlife. Many bird species, snakes, wild boar, water buffalo, and insects including some startlingly large spiders. We arrived at the viewing area, and our guide was a resourceful fellow, and dragged a log behind him and made goat noises to get the attention of the dragons. He did. The simulated goat caused two of the bigger dragons to engage in a little territorial display which gave us an idea of how fast and how fierce these big lizards really are. The smaller Ora (the Indonesian name for the dragons) defer to the larger, older dragons, and even the large ones observe a pecking order. Normally the dragons are slow moving, conserving energy; but when they are excited or angry they can move very quickly and aggressively, using their large tails, long claws, and sharp, saw-like teeth as fearsome weapons. They can rip apart and eat a goat or deer in just minutes. A different route back to the center, and a visit to the restaurant and souvenir shop concluded our half day visit. Longer treks were available, but required an all day stay. Rooms are available at the Center for those on a more leisurely schedule. This is a remarkable view of a part of Indonesia that is little known or visited, even today. For information on Baruna Adventurer Cruises with a stop in Komodo, email baruna@denpasar.wasantara.net.id. Report by Woody Mayhew.

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