Posted on 08/25/2008 5:06:11 PM PDT by Pontiac
The intruder, a Komodo dragon, is the world's largest lizard, an ancient, fierce carnivore found only on a handful of remote islands in eastern Indonesia.
Reaching 10 feet in length, the dragons feed on buffaloes, deer and an occasional human. Just a year ago, a boy about Syarif's age died in a dragon's jaws, his bones smashed against rocks to facilitate reptilian digestion.
These locals have long viewed the dragons as a reincarnation of fellow kinsfolk, to be treated with reverence.
But now, villagers say, the once-friendly dragons have turned into vicious man-eaters. And they blame policies drafted by American-funded environmentalists for this frightening turn of events.
For centuries, local tradition required feeding the dragons -- which live more than 50 years, can recognize individual humans and usually stick to fairly small areas.
Locals say they always left deer parts for the dragons after a hunt, and often tied goats to a post as sacrifice. Island taboos strictly prohibited hurting the giant reptiles, a possible reason why the dragons have survived in the Komodo area despite becoming extinct everywhere else.
Officials at the Nature Conservancy's Indonesian headquarters in Bali dismiss such widespread belief about a connection between the attacks and the ban on feeding the dragons as "superstition." The group and its Komodo subsidiary reject any responsibility for Mansur's death.
The boy "shouldn't have crouched like a prey species in a place where dragons live," says Marcus Matthews-Sawyer, tourism, marketing and communications director at Putri Naga Komodo. "You've got to be very careful about extrapolating and drawing any conclusions."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Dont you mean there is no such thing as a good Nancy Polosi (Democrat Dragonis).
heh heh ha ha, thats pretty good!
there have been a few isolated reports of the Australian version (Goana Lizard) sighted of 14 to 16 feet+ in length.
And that's what's so amazing about these giant lizards. They're not venomous, but they might as well be. Their mouths are so saturated with bacteria that when they bite a deer or a goat, they simply let go and wait. In a matter of days, or even hours sometimes, the prey animal will die of gross bacterial infection of the wound.
The villagers are at risk too. Every TV show I've watched about Komodo dragons always shows a few villagers who managed to get bitten. They're invariably amputees now (but they're quite happy to only lose a limb, rather than their life).
Almost better to be bitten by a cobra.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/06/11/MN204069.DTL&hw=komodo+dragon&sn=001&sc=1000
“Prior to the incident, Bronstein was wearing white tennis shoes. But because the dragon is fed white rats, the zoo keeper suggested he remove the shoes so the animal did not mistake them for its next meal.”
Looks like Phil knew better than the zoo keeper. :)
....GOOD LIZARD....
Those babies ought to give the lengendary Saltys a run for their money.
Put locals on one island, and environmentalists on another. See who survives.
I t would be an interesting experiment.
Would you like to collaborate on a grant proposal with me.
It shouldnt be a problem; environmentalist arent an endangered species.
Wait until they figure out the whole global warming scam...that's when the shit will hit the fan. The liberals think we're hated now, that's nothing compared to what's inevitably coming...
Gee, I never heard of that happening before... Until Rachel WhatsHerName and the enviros got DDT completely banned, some headway was being made against malaria. Today, because western nations will place sanctions on any country that uses DDT in even limited areas, more than 1,000,000 people a year die of malaria. Their response? Send mosquito netting so people don't get bitten at night while asleep. But what about the other 18 or so hours in the day?
Well, at least those millions of people who've died of a horrible, preventable disease, all died for a good cause, right?
Mark
Of course it was a good cause; fewer humans on the planet. After all the enviro whackos are Malthusians. We filthy humans are over populating the planet and using up all the resources.
Ping
read full article.
Once again trample what works ,in favor of what is unscientifically correct
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