Summary: A tourist ignored warnings and decided to tempt fate by getting up close and personal with the islands Komodo dragons.
People always say you get what you pay for. A Singapore man learned that lesson in a less than ideal way. Lon Lee Alle did not want to pay for a tour guide to see the areas Komodo dragons so he ventured into the wild on his own. Alle went to a secluded area where he could watch the beasts eat goats and pigs in West Manggarai, Indonesia.
Warnings are posted everywhere, warning people to keep their distance from the prehistoric looking lizard. It is believed that he ignored those warnings so that he could get closer in order to take a better picture.
Komodo dragons are the largest lizard in the world. They can grow to be 10 feet long and 150 lbs. They generally eat larger mammals like deer but will also snack on carrion. Komodo dragons have a venomous bite that secretes an anticoagulant that poisons their victim’s blood, causing death within 24 hours. They can eat 80 percent of their body weight in one meal.
Officials explained that one of the dragons, believed to be around 8 feet long, decided to treat Alle as a meal. With sharp claws and shark-like teeth, the Komodo was able to infect extensive damage to Alle’s leg. Locals were luckily able to drag Alle away from the attack and to safety. They attack happened around 8 am. They believe that he was wandering around the island alone instead of paying to be part of a tour group. Captain Rama Hasan said, “This was a pretty silly thing to do. You should be very careful near wildlife, particularly Komodo dragons. This man was in pain. He was lucky there were people around to help him, or it could have been much worse.”
Komodo dragons are endangered with less than 4,000 in the wild, only found on a handful of eastern Indonesian islands. Attacks on humans are rare but there is a chance of them increasing as Indonesia promotes the Park as a tourist destination. The last reported attack worldwide was in 2013 when two separate attacks happened on a guide and a park ranger. The last reported deadly attack was in 2009 when a fruit-picker was mauled to death by two Komodo dragons.
Komodo National Park boss Sudiyono explained, “He must have been too close. A Komodo doesn’t like to be disturbed when eating. This is the first incident of a human being bitten by a Komodo dragon in the past five years.”
Photos of Alle’s leg show blood pouring from his wound. He was wheeled away from the Komodo National Park so that he could receive medical attention. He was able to get treatment on the island in Labuan Bajo before being transferred by boat to the Siloam General Hospital.
Tourists seem to have a hard time obeying safety warnings when around wild animals. Yellowstone National Park saw several incidents last year where tourists got to close to the bison and other wildlife.
Would you travel to the Komodo National Park to see Komodo dragons in the wild? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about animal attacks on humans, read these articles:
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- Hero Cat Saves Boy from Vicious Dog Attack in Bakersfield
- Is Disney Liable for the Alligator Toddler Attack?
Photo: flickr.com
Alle: stomp.com.sg