Rinca Island 1, Komodo Dragons - 9 Sept 2015

Tashi Delek
Mike & Carol Kefford
Wed 9 Sep 2015 15:12

08:39.21E 119:42.80E

 

We had arranged a guided tour through the Eco Lodge to Rinca Island to see the Komodo Dragons.  We had our own boat, English speaking guide and three crew to look after us for the two hour journey to the island.  It was lovely to drive through the beautiful islands of the National Park with somebody else responsible for weaving through the reefs.  The Komodo Dragons are big monitor lizards and are only found on the islands of Komodo and Rinca.  Until recently they were thought to kill their prey by biting them and then letting the bacteria in their mouths cause an infection that led to the death of their prey, slowly.  Dragons are very patient and eat about 40kg of meat at a sitting.  However, recently studies have proved that the Dragons are in fact venomous.  They are cannibalistic and the young spend the first four years living in trees to avoid being eaten by other dragons (including their own parents).  The female lays about 9 eggs which she guards and which take nine months to hatch.  Only a few of the young will survive to adulthood and live to about 50 years.

 

Our tour on the island took about one and a half hours.  Although some dragons hang out near the park offices and kitchen all the dragons on the island are completely wild and free to go anywhere.  The island is also home to deer, long tailed macaque monkeys, wild horses, wild buffalo (all of which are the dragons prey) and three kinds of poisonous snakes!

 

Our personal local boat (pinisi) arrives alongside Tashi Delek

Dragons near the Park Office

 

The Park Ranger and his big stick are essential on the tour as ………

Dragons run fast, climb trees and swim ………

 

…….  are well camouflaged and about 3m long!