Komodo Dragon Killing: Two Lizards Maul Man to Death in Indonesia

by Tina Kells | March 24, 2009 at 07:21 am

2532 views | 24 Recommendations | 17 comments

Two komodo dragons have killed a man in Indonesia after an unusual dual attack. The komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard and for the most part they leave people alone. Not only is it unusual for a komodo dragon to attack a human, it is virtually unheard of for them to do so in pairs.

Police Sgt. Kosmas Jalang said Muhamad Anwar, 31, was attacked on Komodo, one of four islands where the giant reptile is found in the wild, minutes after he fell out of a sugar-apple tree on Monday.

A neighbour said he was bleeding badly from bites to his hands, body, legs and neck and died soon after at a clinic on the nearby island of Flores.

The two lizards mauled a fruit picking fisherman to death March 24, and some reports suggest that komodo dragon attacks on humans have increaased in recent years.

An eight-year-old boy was killed in 2007 — the first recorded deadly attack on a human by one of the endangered lizards in three decades.

A park ranger narrowly survived after one of the animals entered his hut last month and started biting his hands and legs. There have been several other attacks in recent months, according to Metro TV.

Komodo dragons are an endangered species, there are thought to be less than 4,000 of them alive in the wild to day. They live mainly in Indonesia.

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calflier001

at 08:41 on March 24th, 2009

I think this maybe the second in recent years,I remember there was an attack on Rinca island near Komodo island in Indonesia,but amazingly despite the amount of visitors to Komodo island, to my knowledge there has not been an attack by dragons on Komodo island up until now, hope that helps. regards Calflier001

calflier001 has contributed a photo to this story.

yoedhaboas

at 08:38 on March 24th, 2009

look at the mallboro cigaret, the body very2 BIGER than the cigaret"s

yoedhaboas has contributed a photo to this story.

Rowena @ L'Orto Orgoglioso (not verified)

at 08:51 on March 24th, 2009

Tina I don't mind the use of the image, but would rather refrain from joinging NowPublic to give written permission. By all means go ahead and use it. :-)

Tina Kells

at 09:22 on March 24th, 2009

OK, thank you!

MOOSE COLLECTOR

at 11:50 on March 24th, 2009

taken at disney's animal kingdom in the jungle trek walk in asia section of park.

MOOSE COLLECTOR has contributed a photo to this story.

pintomarta50

at 12:00 on March 24th, 2009

Taken at Alligator's Farm, St Augustine, Florida. It's a wonderful animal...but it's frightening...

pintomarta50 has contributed a photo to this story.

WendysPointofView

at 13:09 on March 24th, 2009

I think the Komodo Dragon is a beautiful creature, but yes, can be dangerous. There are many people that want to try and keep them as pets... what are they thinking?!?!?!

piyaaru13

at 13:42 on March 24th, 2009

Komodo Dragons are just like any other wild animal- they will defend their area, attack when provoked, and will bite and scratch. Hopefully the dragon involved in the attack will not be killed because of the incident.

piyaaru13 has contributed a photo to this story.

nicklwc

at 17:41 on March 24th, 2009

Apparently, even their saliva is dangerous. Lots of viruses and bacterias. But just like any other wild animals, you encroach their area, they are bound to protect it.

Let's hope the authorities and people will be sensible in making decisions and not go on a hunt for these dragons.

dlvassar

at 20:09 on March 24th, 2009

Taken at Shark Reef Aquarium, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV.

dlvassar has contributed a photo to this story.

ganjarock00

at 09:56 on March 25th, 2009

The saliva from the Komodo Dragon is poisonous, and can kill a human with a single bite.

ganjarock00 has contributed a photo to this story.

thor (not verified)

at 12:04 on March 25th, 2009

What island was he on???

Smulan77

at 17:26 on March 25th, 2009

Komodo Dragon resting motionless on Komodo Island, Indonesia

Smulan77 has contributed a photo to this story.

chanaka

at 04:01 on March 26th, 2009

Very rare thing and hard to imagine. Thanks for the vitatal and interesting news.

sandyg44094

at 20:33 on April 8th, 2009

The photograph you request was of a very young Komodo Dragon. I photographed it at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo where I have been taking their pictures for nearly 18 years. I photographed this Komodo and another while they were in Cleveland, Ohio in quarantine. I photographed it a year later and it had grown quite a bit. The only real danger that I was made aware of was the bite of the Komodo carries some very dangerous bacteria and can lead to serious injury. This Komodo now resides at the Cincinatti, Ohio Zoo iin the USA and it is huge. I plan on photographing it this summer. Thank you for your interest. They are amazing lizards.

sandyg44094 has contributed a photo to this story.

Vera A Smith (not verified)

at 11:52 on April 10th, 2009

I am very happy to share my komodo dragon pic with you! I love to photograph reptiles, especially close ups. Anyway the particular komodo dragon in my pic is from the Atlanta Zoo in Georgia. It was about as long as a small car. In particular I noticed that this individual had scales that appeared to have different shades of green,grey,reddish brown and black, and that is what made me want to photograph it.