GLOBE AND MAIL (Toronto, Ontario) 17 November 04 Into the dragon's lair - Giant carnivorous reptiles are aiding the revival of tourism in Indonesia (Sebastien Blanc)
Komodo, Indonesia (AFP): A monster lizard with fearsome claws, a flickering forked tongue and a killer bite is proving an unlikely ally in Indonesia's efforts to revive a tourism industry shattered by the October, 2002, Bali bombing.
Though many travellers have been put off visiting the Southeast Asian nation in the wake of the attacks in which 202 people died, on a nearby island, the giant Komodo dragon has proved an enduring attraction to curious holidaymakers.
Officials on the tiny island of Komodo, to the east of Bali, expect visitors to increase by one-third in 2004 from a year earlier as crowds flock to quake before varanus komodoensis, one of the world's largest carnivorous reptiles.
Named "dragon," probably because of its long, yellow tongue, this prehistoric-looking animal lives in freedom only on Komodo and a few neighbouring islands.
The creature can grow up to three metres long, kill a deer with a blow of its tail and devour a whole goat including skull and horns, but huge efforts are made to protect its dwindling numbers as Indonesia strives to safeguard one its major attractions.
Equipped with a long stick to fend-off possible attack, Mohammed Yoka Desthuraka works as a guide to hikers on the slopes of the Komodo National Park -- an area set up in 1980 to preserve the island and surrounding sea.
"They are unique animals, sometimes aggressive, sometimes lazy, sometimes they look friendly," Desthuraka says as he steps around the carcass of a buffalo attacked three days earlier by the giant monitor lizards.
Despite their cumbersome appearance, Komodos can run as fast as a dog in short bursts and jump onto their hind legs to unleash impressive front leg claws.
Most visitors keep a safe distance from dragons, particularly after hearing the cautionary tale of a Swiss tourist several years ago of whom nothing was found but a pair of spectacles and a camera. "Now, tourists are accompanied by rangers," park director Matheus Halim says.
About 70 rangers are deployed across the park's 60,000 hectares of vegetation and 120,000 hectares of ocean.
With poachers facing 10 years in jail, dragon numbers have now stabilized at about 2,500, says Halim, who keeps tabs on the creatures using electronic chips embedded under their scaly skin. "We try to keep them secure, to provide them enough food, to offer them good habitat, whatever they need."
The health of the reptiles is also supervised closely, in particular by researchers from Australia and the city of San Diego. In a further effort to protect Komodo's environment, the practice of fishing with dynamite has been outlawed to halt the widespread destruction of rich coral reef's off the island's shores.
For tourism information, visit www.tourismindonesia, http://www.indonesia-tourism.com or http://www.komodotours.com.
Giant carnivorous reptiles are aiding the revival of tourism in Indonesia