Komodo Dragon Kills Man in Indonesia

KOMODO DRAGON KILLS MAN IN INDONESIA

March 24, 2009

-(Shocking Nature News)-

An Indonesian man was mauled to death by a Komodo dragon after he ventured into a remote island sanctuary for the giant killer lizards.

The fisherman died from massive blood loss after being bitten in the leg as he looked for fruit on the island in the east of the archipelago.

"The fisherman was with some friends and took a break on Rinca island. He entered the jungle to find some sugar-apples,'' local police deputy chief Benny Hutajulu said.

"The Komodo suddenly grabbed his heel and his two friends in the boat heard a scream and rushed to help him.''

The reptile had disappeared when his friends arrived but the man died on his way to hospital.

"A doctor said that he was bleeding badly and losing a lot of blood,'' Dpt chief Hutajulu said.

"There were no eyewitnesses,'' he said.

Rinca and nearby Komodo, Gili Motang and Flores islands in eastern Indonesia are the natural habitats of the deadly lizards.

Komodos can grow up to three metres in length and weigh up to 140kg.

Typically pack hunters and scavengers, one bite from a Komodo can kill as their saliva is laced with highly toxic bacteria.

There are an estimated 3000 dragons in the park and surrounding areas but fatal attacks on humans are rare.

A park ranger was attacked in February but survived. Last year a group of European scuba divers became stranded on Rinca island and had to fight off a curious Komodo.