Story and photos by Dominick A. Merle
KOMODO ISLAND, Indonesia. When a really hungry, flesh eating, 300-pound Komodo Dragon is ferociously sniffing the air for fresh meat less than 20 yards away, you curse the curiosity that brought you here in the first place.
Author Dominick Merle Approaching Komodo Island
Especially when you've been told that this giant reptile can easily devour 80 percent of his own weight -- that's all of me and half the guide -- in one meal!
“I don't think we should approach any closer,” the guide advised, which has to go down as one of the greatest understatements of all time. In a flash we were inside the nearest ranger shack where we could continue our observation through telescopic lenses.
Hungry Dragon Sniffing for Blood
This island and two neighboring islands in central Indonesia are the only places on earth where you can see these gluttonous carnivores in the wild. They will kill and eat just about anything and everything -- including each other -- along with you and me.
They stop eating only when they can ingest no more as their bellies triple in size. Then they may go without food for a month, often staying in one position, without blinking an eye, for 24 hours.
Until I came here, hyenas topped my most repulsive creature list. That would change – soon.
After a 90-minute speedboat ride from the nearby island of Flores, we were greeted by our ranger-guide, Alexander, who promptly gave us a few ground rules.
Guide with Forked Stick -- He Also Packed a Gun
“Stay behind me and do not approach the dragons within ten meters. They can strike very quickly.”
He motioned towards me. “Do not let your camera dangle loose like that. They will think it's meat. Cup it in your hand.”
My previous knowledge of the Komodo dragon was miniscule: they were dangerous, rare and looked like a three-way cross between a lizard, crocodile and dinosaur.
But as we began our walk along a jungle path, Alexander provided some statistics and a few startling details.
A full-grown dragon grows to three meters (10-feet) long and weighs up to 225 kilos (500 lbs). They have oversized heads with shark-like teeth and can kill with one bite, injecting a combination of 50 strains of bacteria and venom into their victims.
Small prey die quickly. Larger animals, like water buffaloes, can live for a week, with the Komodo patiently following behind for his big meal. (To put that “big meal” in perspective, that 300-pound dragon back there is capable of eating 950 Big Macs in a row).
“Look...there is a young one,” Alexander said, pointing his long wooden pole with a forked end. We would later learn that in addition to the pole, he also carried a concealed weapon, in case a Komodo became aggressive and attacked.
The young dragon, looking much like an over-size lizard or iguana, was darting about and turning his head in different directions.
Komodo’s Head Contains Shark-Like Teeth
“He's sniffing for blood,” Alexander said. “They can smell blood a kilometer away.”
About 20 minutes later in our walk, Alexander stopped and pointed towards one of the ranger shacks. “That one has just eaten. He will not attack. We can get close.”
From that distance, the dragon looked like a log, but as we approached we could see the grotesquely bloated belly. We remained there for 15 minutes or so and the creature never flinched, even as Alexander touched it with his forked pole.
Suddenly we heard some loud squeals up ahead followed by a flurry of footsteps. “Wild pigs,” Alexander said. “You will rarely see them; they run away from humans.
“They hunt in packs and often kill and eat the Komodos. But if a pig is alone, the Komodo always wins.”
The third and final dragon we would see during our 90-minute jungle walk was the nervously sniffing 300-pounder that had us hightailing it to the safety of the ranger shack.
“As soon as he picks up the scent of blood he will head in that direction,” Alexander said. “A hungry dragon can run up to 20 kilometers (13 miles) an hour. About as fast as a wild dog.
“That is why we warn anyone who is recovering from an open wound---even women during their menstruation period---to never set foot on the island.”
There are about 5,000 dragons in the wild on the three islands, about half of them on Komodo Island. There are also some 2,000 natives here, and occasionally one is killed and eaten by a Komodo.
The closest hospital where antidotes and treatment can be administered is in Bali, an hour away by plane, but flights are few and far between.
Komodo dragons can live in excess of 30 years. Yet, despite their deadly aggressiveness, they have become an endangered species because of poaching, the dearth of egg-laying females, natural disasters and the wild pig packs.
My question was, if the Komodo dragons become extinct, who will miss them?
Angry Dragon Under Shack
And one last question: How many wild pigs would it take to consume a Komodo dragon who has just eaten the equivalent of 950 Big Macs?
Just curious.
(A member of the original IFWTA group, Dominick A. Merle resides in Montreal, Canada, Email dmerle@videotron.ca).
IF YOU GO
What To Do:
Three types of guided walking tours are available on Komodo Island; these are best described as tenderfoot (about 90 minutes), medium (2 to 3 hours) and adventurous (half-day).
Cap off your day by swimming or snorkeling on nearby Pink Beach. The unique sand color is the result of white sand mixing with red foraminifera (tiny one-celled sea creatures). But beware the jellyfish stings.
Where To Stay:
Flores Island's capital city of Labuan Bajo has a number of four-star and more moderately priced hotels. We stayed at the Bintang Flores Hotel, a four-star property on a beach. Rates $80-$110 (bintangfloreshotel.com)
Pristine Pink Beach on Komodo Island -- Beware the Jellyfish
While in Labuan Bajo, try to visit the Kelimutu volcano area and its three crater lakes that change color irregularly---red, green, blue--- depending on the oxidation level of the waters.
Where and What To Eat:
For fine food with a view, try the Golo Hilltop Restaurant, which has an open dining area overlooking the sea. Specialties are seafood and beef (golohilltophotel@gmail.com).
For tasty local food, stick to downtown Labuan Bajo where you will find a number of open-air satay and barbecue rib stands, and Padang food which is basically spicy seafood, beef or chicken surrounding a pile of steaming rice.
Try not to eat 80 percent of your body weight.
How to Get There:
We used three separate airlines: Air Canada (www.aircanada.com) on the long haul from Montreal to Hong Kong; Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to Jakarta; and Garuda Airlines on the Indonesian flights.
