Komodo Dragon Attacks Two in Indonesia

A day at the office for two staff members of a wildlife park in Indonesia turned into a terrifying event when a Komodo dragon entered the office and attacked them.

One of the injured was a 50 year old park ranger who had been sitting at his desk at the front office of the Rinca island Komodo National Park in Eastern Indonesia. This is the area where tourists usually check in and the 2 metre long Komodo dragon appeared here.

This was not the first time the ranger had come face to face with an angry Komodo dragon. He had a similar attack in 2009 and was still re-living the nightmare.

“The man panicked when he saw the komodo and tried to escape by jumping on a chair, but the komodo quickly grabbed and bit one of his legs,” said Heru Rudiharto, an official at the Komodo National Park.

Upon hearing the ranger scream, another staff member entered the office to help. That was when this 35 year old was also attacked on the leg by the dragon.

According to Rudiharto both are recovering well in the hospital and have been given stitches. They are though being closely monitored for traces of infection if any.

Komodo dragons are world’s largest monitor lizards. They can grow up to three metres in length and weigh around 70 kilograms.

Earlier it was believed that these lizards bit their prey and waited till the toxic bacteria in their saliva weakened or killed the prey. But recent research has shown that the dragons’ jaws are armed with highly sophisticated poison glands that can cause paralysis, spasms and shock through hemorrhaging almost instantly.

There are only few thousands of these lizards left in the world, though they are native to many Indonesian islands. In October last year a woman collecting grass at the park had been attacked by a Komodo dragon, though she has recovered since.