OUCH




(CNN) -- An Indonesian fisherman has been killed by Komodo dragons after he was attacked while trespassing on a remote island in search of fruit, officials said Tuesday.


Komodo dragons kill their prey with an extremely toxic bite.

1 of 2 Muhamad Anwar, 32, bled to death on his way to hospital after being mauled by the reptiles at Loh Sriaya, in eastern Indonesia's Komodo National Park, the park's general manager Fransiskus Harum told CNN.

"The fisherman was inside the park when he went looking for sugar-apples. The area was forbidden for people to enter as there are a lot of wild dragons," Harum said.

Other fisherman took Anwar to a clinic on nearby Flores Island, east of Bali, but he was declared dead on arrival, he added.

Komodo dragons, the world's heaviest lizards, can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in length and have a toxic bite that they use to kill prey such as buffalo, returning to feast when the animal succumbs to the poison.

Despite their ungainly appearance, the carnivorous reptiles can run as fast as a dog in short bursts, jump up on their hind legs, and kill animals with a blow of their powerful tails.

Attacks on humans are rare, but Monday's incident is the latest in a series in which the monster lizards -- which have forked tongues and fearsome claws --have killed or injured people.

Last month a park ranger survived after a Komodo dragon climbed the ladder into his hut and savaged his hand and foot. In 2007 an eight-year-old boy died after being mauled.

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Divers battled Komodo dragon before rescue
In June last year, a group of divers who were stranded on an island in the national park -- the dragons' only natural habitat -- had to fend off several attacks from the reptiles before they were rescued.

Park rangers also tell the cautionary tale of a Swiss tourist who vanished leaving nothing but a pair of spectacles and a camera after an encounter with the dragons several years ago.

An endangered species, Komodo are believed to number less than 4,000 in the wild. Access to their habitat is restricted, but tourists can get permits to see them in the wild within the National Park.

All visitors are accompanied by rangers, about 70 of whom are deployed across the park's 60,000 hectares of vegetation and 120,000 hectares of ocean.

Despite a threat of poachers, Komodo dragon numbers are believed to have stabilized in recent years, bolstered by successful breeding campaigns in captivity.

On Monday, a zoo in Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java reported the arrival of 32 newborn Komodos after the babies all hatched in the past two weeks, the Jakarta Post reported.

ah ha! So dragons DO exist.

That's what he gets for trespassing!

CarrieLee said:

But I still feel bad for this person...

So I guess climbing a palm tree for safety may not work?






Just look at the claws on that one

Does anyone know how fast they run?

Interesting info http://animals.nationalge...ragon.html

Looks like it was forbidden for a very good reason.

Poor guy though.

luv4u said:

Faster than humans.

what a way to die!

luv4u said:

Is it eating a cat in the first pic?

CarrieLee said:

Komodo Dragon 1, Human 0

He just HAD to have some damn sugar apples.....

luv4u said:

"Get in my belly! I'm gonna eat you!!!!"

The horrible thing is that their prey supposedly dies very slowly. From what I understand they don't have poisonous bites, but their mouths are just very unclean. So it takes big animals days to get sick & die from their bites.

NDRU said:

Their saliva contains all sorts of bacteria.

You just gotta be faster than the slowest guy....

Seems like overly-heavy protection for some apples

Shawnt26 said:

yep...bleh

NDRU said:

Check out my link http://animals.nationalge...ragon.html - They'll eat anything, even each other

Why the FUCK was he in an area w/ DRAGONS?? The shit was "forbidden" for a reason, dammit!

man!these animals are terrible, hope they dont kill any more humans or else we put them all away.

raveon2tnek said:

Wait what? Kill all the Komodo dragons because some dumbasses can't stay out of THEIR habitat...an extremely remote island established for THEIR survival... You're joking right?

pardonme4livin said:

the tourist and the fisherman are dumbasses? hope you dont find your self in close proximity to a komodo!

raveon2tnek said:

Well...if I happen upon one in Minneapolis....shame on him...if I happen upon one on their island...shame on me...

pardonme4livin said:

Thank you! The dragons are doing what comes natural to them. So they have to be punished because some moron walks into their territory?

uPtoWnNY said:

I'm sorry but this made me

Poor guy.
[Edited 3/25/09 12:41pm]