KOMODO ILAND'S TOURISM

KOMODO ISLAND A small island of 280 square km, Komodo is located between Sumbawa and Flores islands. It is famous for its giant lizards, considered the last of their kind remaining in the world today, the Komodo dragon. Called "ora" by the local people, Komodo "Dragon" (Varanus Komodoensis) is actually a giant monitor lizard. Growing up to 3 to 4 meters in length, its ancestors roamed the earth up to about half a million years ago. Komodo live on goats, deer, and even the carcasses of its own kind. The only human population on the island is at the fishing village called Komodo who supplement their income-breeding goats, which are used to feed the lizards. The Komodo had protected by the law and although they are considered harmless, it is advisable to keep them at a distance. Komodo Island is now a nature reserve, home to a number of rare bird species, deer, and wild pigs, which are prey to the lizards as well. About the Komodo Dragon      The Komodo Dragon is referred to by the residents of Indonesia as the ora. Although only two islands of Indonesia house these mighty reptiles, they used to be present in Australia not too long ago. The Australian version of the ora was much larger and more dangerous that the modern dragon, but is extinct now. Even so, these smaller versions that exist today are pretty big. The largest ever measured was 10 feet, 2.5 inches. He, or rather she (a male who was unfortunately named "Minnie") was put on display in St. Louis during the 30's. Some villagers in Komodo Village insist that a dragon 30 feet long comes through their town, and more believable reports by the villagers of 3.5 meter dragons (about 11 feet) have been heard of. Not regarding these claims of bigger beasts, "Minnie" (or "Mickey", as he should have been called) is the largest ora found to date. Now, as an endangered species, few dragons live in zoos or are put on display (with the exception of foreign countries. The Indonesian island of Bali has a captured dragon on display for all to see). However, there was a time when the ora was in serious danger of extinction. The Komodo Dragon was discovered in the age of the first world war, when a pilot crashed his plane in the Indonesian waters. He was able to swim to the shore of a nearby island, which we found was inhabited by giant monsters. Luckily, he was able to radio home and was rescued. When he first told his stories of the "giant reptiles" that lived on the island, no one believed him (of course). Later, his reports were confirmed by another expedition by a man interested in the stories of the dragons told by the pilot. The Indonesians always new about the oras on the island, however. They exiled all of their public outcasts to this island, knowing of the dangers they would face (and, their ultimate demise) on the island. However, the people set up a small settlement which is still around today. Known fondly as "Komodo Village", this Muslim town derives most of its money from tourists and fishing (for fish, Mother of Pearl, etc.). There isn't a lot to see at the island; there is a mosque, the streets are dirt, and a small school gives the 400-500 local children a decent education. The best way to describe the town is pretty much as a small village, which coincidentally lies on the edge of an extraordinary island, which is about as poor as poor is; but nobody is starving or hungry.
The Near Extinction and Protection of the Ora It is a well known fact that in the history of the world, Europeans enjoyed taking over countries, hunting wild animals to the brink of extinction for sport, and becoming a general annoyance to everyone. When the Dutch were in Indonesia, it was suggested that oras be used for handbags, purses, exotic meals, and hunting trophies. The last of the two, all thought they did not take as many animals, were in effect until the 1930's or later. Fortunately for the dragons, their skin is not good for tanning. It cracks, breaks, and put quite frankly, makes an ugly purse. And so the oras were not used for purses and spared extinction. However, dragons were killed by the rich Dutch who had the money to go down to Komodo and kill them. And so about 600 a year were taken, until a law went into effect saying that only 5 dragons could be taken in a year. The Dutch recognized this animal as a valuable ecological predator and set up laws protecting it. Now, the same rules applies; and although there isn't a lot of demand for ora hunting, those who want to do it are usually discouraged. Intimidated by the fact that one has to go to the government, fill out forms, get the blessings of the President, the Sultans, and so on. Now the dragons are protected for another reason than the one the Dutch had when they made their laws. The Indonesians could care less about protecting animal life. I have been to places in Java where you can buy stuffed cobras attacking rare birds (also stuffed) for relatively cheap prices. These people could theoretically exterminate any species without remorse. But not this one. Because money is such a valuable resource over there, and the oras are so popular with the tourists, the people of Indonesia would be idiots to make them defunct. If they did, they would see thousands of tourists and tourist dollars float away before their eyes. So the dragons are too valuable economically to kill off. This has some good and bad points. The good part was mentioned above; we will probably have wild oras around for a long time.
The Tourist Version of the Ora    The bad part is that the money here comes from tourists, and tourists, aside from making Komodo Island a side-show, have a greater impact. Let's just say that when most people go halfway around the world to see the largest, smartest reptile, they don't want to fall victim to it. The last dragon casualty was in 1973, and the rangers have done a pretty good job of keeping people safe. With the exception of a dragon eating a little girl on the outskirts of Komodo Village, the dragons are pretty much domesticated. The average tourist can walk right up to them and get an exotic picture of an ora sunning itself. These dragons are calmed, their wild side appeased by the rangers of the park. They are fed deer to keep them calmed and prevent any more accidents, which would destroy the image of the park. The feedings are also at a certain spot, so when a guide takes a group of tourists there, they are assured that there are dragons there, waiting for their meal. The meal used to be a goat tossed in a pit in front of tourists, but now it is done in private. So unfortunately, the dragons that visitors see are rarely the wild ones.
The Hard Facts (and some widely distributed myths) Being the king of the mountain sometimes isn't enough. So let me warn you here, some of the "facts" below may exaggerated slightly. Dragon facts: The largest dragon found and confirmed by science was 10' 2.5''. The saliva of an ora contains four forms of bacteria with no known antidotes. The teeth of an ora are arranged so that the maximum amount of flesh can be bitten off and swallowed whole. An ora can run faster than 15 m.p.h. Oras smaller that 3' are fully capable to climb trees. Aside from humans, oras are the only animals that willingly control their population (by way of eating their eggs). Oras are also cannibals, eating other members of their species. In ecological disasters [such as a titanic fire] oras have been known to swim to other islands for safety. Although not confirmed by science, claims are made that the ora is a good swimmer. Some Indonesians refer to the ora as a "water crocodile"; some state that the dragon can travel relatively long distances in water, sometimes diving 12' or more. Komodo Dragons, or at least their near relatives, have existed since the Jurassic period. In conclusion, the Komodo Dragon is not only the largest reptile in the world, but a very fascinating one. They are a spectacular living example of the biodiversity of our planet, and although are in no current danger, should be preserved in their natural form and temperament for future generations and ecologists to observe. New7Wonders of Nature Indonesia’s Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, for a total area of 1,817 square kilometers (603 square kilometers of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon. Later, it was also dedicated to protecting other species, including marine animals. The islands of the national park are of volcanic origin. New7Wonders today announces the following important decisions concerning the participation of Komodo in the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign: 1. Voting for Komodo continues as an authorized Finalist in the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign. 2. New7Wonders removes the Ministry of Culture and Tourism from its status as Official Supporting Committee for Komodo in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign. Outlining these decisions, Bernard Weber, President and Founder of New7Wonders, says: "Every action by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism last week strengthened the case for us to withdraw from Indonesia completely. If we depended on the Ministry, then today we would be forced to announce a complete pull-out." "Fortunately, in the past days we have received many encouraging and supporting requests from the public and leading individuals to allow Komodo to continue as a Finalist in the Official New7Wonders of Nature," says Weber, adding: "As New7Wonders is the world's first and largest global voting platform, these voices are important to us." He emphasizes: "The main news today is this: with the removal of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism from its official role in the campaign, voting for Komodo can continue." Bernard Weber points out: "Normally, we would have expected the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as our then-designated New7Wonders Official Supporting Committee, to act responsibly, to honour its many pledges regarding Jakarta becoming the Official Host for the Declaration of the New7Wonders of Nature on 11.11.11. The Ministry's role should have been to support us, and to lead the search for a solution to honour the legally binding contract for New7Wonders Official Host, signed in December 2010 with a leading Indonesian Private Consortium — a consortium endorsed by the Ministry in the first place. Instead, they have reacted with malicious misinformation, invented financial commitments and prejudicial action to cover up for an apparent lack of moral responsibility and duty. In my view, with this behaviour, the Ministry has also reduced the chances for Indonesia to host other major global events that create goodwill in the world, such as the Olympics or the World Cup." Regarding the removal of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism from its official status in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign, Bernard Weber states: "Under the legal terms of the Participation Agreement, we have the ultimate right to withdraw or modify the status of any participant, and in the case of Komodo the evidence clearly points to the unsuitability of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as our authorised New7Wonders Official Supporting Committee, and therefore this status is revoked with immediate effect. This removal allows us to keep Komodo in the campaign." Bernard Weber declares: "Once we again see it is possible to do business legally safely in Indonesia, we will consider appropriate associations or foundations or other official bodies to take over the role of New7Wonders Official Supporting Committee for Komodo. As of today, all official promotional activities for Komodo as a Finalist in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign must be directly authorized by New7Wonders until further notice." He concludes: "In the matter of the pending issues for the legally binding contract for the Official Host, New7Wonders will continue to act to ensure the full recognition of its legal rights, and it expects the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to be fully accountable to the Indonesian people it represents for its moral obligations in this regard."