The Lonely Planet Guide to Indonesia states that the Komodo Dragons are not relics of the dinosaur age but remarkably versatile, hardy modern lizards but very little is actually known about this incredible creature. Why they exist only on and around Komodo Island is a mystery as is why the males outnumber females 3.4:1 (wish this was the case with the human population!) At last count there are around 2450 Komodo dragons on the combined islands of Rinca, Komodo and the northwestern end of Flores.
We arrived at Rinca Island in the afternoon after our overnight passage and anchored in a small protected bay. The islands themselves look desolate and barren, appearing from a distance to have very little vegetation or animal life. The next morning we headed ashore to the small visitor’s pier where around ten ‘put put’ boats arrived during the day carrying locals and tourists alike from Labuanbajo the nearby Flores port. There are less than a few hundred inhabitants on Rinca which live in coastal fishing villages on the southern side of the island and the rest is National Park. We tied up the dinghy to the pier and laying in the shade at the end of the pier was our first Komodo dragon! About 2m long, the dragons look like a cross between a crocodile and a snake with long front legs and short back legs which allow them to sprint short distances.
The walk to the ranger station took less than five minutes and already we spotted some shy native macaque monkeys sprinting through the bush. At the ranger camp there were a few small guest cottages and a small café which thankfully served cold Bintang. We paid National Park fees for three days and hired a guide for a walk through the surroundings. The guides spoke limited English but knew their subject well and they also carried big pronged sticks – useful for keeping aggressive dragons at bay! We walked for around 45 minutes through the bush which was dry but much more impressive close up. Along the way we saw more monkeys, water buffaloes, wild boars and a deer.
The smell hit us before we saw the water hole. Sidestepping big buffalo poo patties we saw five or six huge buffalo sitting in the last remaining water hole on the island which was black with their own filth. Still they seemed quite happy swatting away flies oblivious of the numerous watching Komodo dragons. A BBC crew was set up on the banks of the water hole. They explained that they were filming a predation series and had been there for three weeks, a very very loooooonnnngg three weeks! A few days before one of the buffalo had been bitten by a Komodo dragon. This is their usual method of attack as the bacteria in their mouth causes infection in a bigger animal who over a period of time weakens and then dies at which point the dragons move in to feed. With smaller prey such as monkeys and small wild boars they are able to expand their jaws to simply swallow the animal whole – still alive and kicking – much like a python. This phenomenon happens fairly rarely as the Komodo dragons feed only once a month. We were very lucky to be in the right place at the right time to see so many dragons in their natural habitat. We continued to visit over the next three days but unfortunately our sick perversion to see the feeding went unsatisfied as the buffalo refused to die and eventually we had to continue to Bali.
I have no doubt that the dragons are dangerous creatures, in fact one had killed a 9year old villager only 2 months previously, however they are impressively passive creatures in their native habitat. Our encounter with these rare lizards was a top experience.
