Tourists to Indonesia will likely be barred from the popular Komodo Island in January 2020 – a decision seemingly impelled by recent reports of Komodo dragons being stolen and smuggled overseas, potentially for dubious medicinal purposes, according to local media.
The temporary shutdown, announced last Friday, is expected to give officials in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia's southernmost province, an opportunity to increase the Komodo dragon population and preserve their habitats, according to Tempo newspaper. Discussions about closing the island date back to at least January, when officials said the park could close for a full year.
Komodo Island is one of the three larger land masses that make up Komodo National Park. The other two islands, one of which also features the animals, are expected to remain open.
The decision to close the island came just days after nine men were arrested on suspicion of selling more than 40 Komodo dragons for about $US35,000 each, local police told Tempo. Officials said the reptiles, which are the largest known species of lizard in existence and only found in the wild in East Indonesia, are "usually" sold to Asian buyers.
Authorities also seized other animals originating from eastern Indonesia, including wildcats, birds and cockatoos, according to Tempo. Those purchasing the dragons, however, may seek to use them to create an antibiotic, police said.
Komodo dragons have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, but were only discovered in the early 20th century. Part of the reason Komodo dragons have outlived other species is because of their highly-venomous bite, which is so toxic that even a nip can be fatal. But the animals also possess another unique trait: their blood is packed with antimicrobial peptides, a built-in defence against infections produced by all living creatures. This makes Komodo dragons immune to the bites of other dragons.
Some scientist believe these peptides could be harnessed into antibiotics to protect humans. But Bryan Fry, an associate professor for the University of Queensland's school of biological sciences, told The Post this process is more complicated and less plausible than it sounds.
Not enough is known about the chemical compounds Komodo dragons utilize to fight off infection, and using their blood directly would not be useful in treating human infection, Fry explained in an email. Purifying the compounds within their blood would be difficult – and even then, "the likelihood of a violent allergic reaction would be very high."
"Turning this into a pharmaceutical product would require many years of laboratory research to generate small sized, synthetic analogs," Fry said. "The natural compounds are large and would light up our immune system like a Christmas tree, providing a violent allergic response after repeated use."
Some reports indicate there are about 6000 of the dragons left.