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Komodo Dragons Eating People?

A

Anonymous

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I was just reading a rather stupid travel magazine and there was an article about visiting places where you can see certain endangered species. The article mentioned that komodo dragons are extremely dangerous and that careless tourists have ended up lizard food.
I know that giant reptiles aren't puppies, but I doubt if komodo dragons really have eaten (or killed) people. So is this just bad journalism? Wouldn't be the first time in this magazine (Mondo, a Finnish travel mag).
 
You soon pass the sign that warns, "Dangerous area - watch out. Komodo crossing. Be silent." The park service men tell us that silence is necessary not to avoid scaring the dragons, but to avoid attracting them. The dragons are large, ferocious predators that are fully capable of killing and eating a human being. The men recount several tales of dragons eating people. The most famous story is that of the German tourist who went to the beach alone to sunbathe. All that was found of him were his glasses and his camera.
As we were walking along the path, a large dragon came along. The park men had us stand in a single row along the edge of the path and told us to stay still and quiet. We did this, and the dragon swung by us, eyeing us and flicking his tongue. After he had passed, we went on our way.
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Source : http://www.heptune.com/komodo.html

See also Komodo the movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172669/
 
Well, there was that one that went for Phil Bronstein[?] in a zoo in California, Sharon Stone's ex-husband, it didn't like his trainers or something.

I have seen a wildlife programme (World's Most Dangerous Animals- type of programme) that once showed a woman who apparently had her young baby stolen from her home during the day and eaten by a Komodo dragon.


[...]
Only a few, very large, Komodo dragons are capable of catching and consuming an healthy adult, but small children could potentially fall victim to a number of species. Monitors have an unfavourable reputation for stealing animals (usually young chickens) from man in most parts of the world and for this reason are often killed when encountered by farmers. In some cultures monitor lizards are tolerated rather than encouraged. Local customs often forbid the killing of monitor lizards for any reason, but their antisocial behaviour does not necessarily go unpunished.
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Mankind and monitor lizards


as an aside, this is mad:
Cisse (1971) recalls that a Senegalese man who found a Nile monitor in his house helping itself to his breakfast eggs found himself unable to kill the intruder, but vented his anger by tying the animal up and giving it a sound thrashing with a belt before releasing it, bruised but otherwise unharmed. It remained in the vicinity, but never entered his house again.
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:oops:
They really aren't puppies. Cynicism towards certain papers seems dangerous, should ditch that habit.
Thanks, folks!
 
I have seen wildlife programmes where Komodo Dragons are portrayed as Maneaters. They are sizeable enough, wouldnt want to bump into one in a dark alley or a dark jungle.
 
Heres another piece on these dread dragons:

Man-eating lizards enter capital


The Komodo Dragon's lethal saliva contains 50 types of bacteria
It has poisonous saliva, eats water buffalo and deer for breakfast and has even been known to devour humans - now Komodo "dragons" have arrived in London.
The giant lizards are being housed at London Zoo in a purpose-built lair as a centrepiece for a breeding programme.

Visitors will be able to see the lethal reptiles through the safety of a 20-metre-long viewing window.

Experts estimate only around 500 breeding females remain in the dragons' natural habitat in Indonesia.

Poaching, habitat loss and disease have all taken their toll.


KOMODO DRAGON
World's largest lizard
Measures up to 3.1m
Weighs up to 126kg
Numbers estimated at 1,000 to 5,000
Indigenous in Indonesia
Nicknamed 'buaya darat' or land crocodile
London Zoo is now hoping to breed a captive population, in case numbers in the wild drop so low that the dragons are no longer genetically viable. Initially the zoo will have one breeding pair.

The male, Raja, has already settled in after being flown in from a zoo in Miami.

His prospective mate will be arriving shortly from a zoo in the Canary Islands.

If all goes according to plan, London Zoo could be hearing the patter of tiny claws some time in the next year.


Deadly saliva

Richard Gibson, of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), said: "Without conservation efforts to protect them, these giant lizards have a very uncertain future."

In the wild, Komodo dragons are the only lizards capable of hunting and killing prey larger than themselves - such as deer and water buffalo - and can swallow their catch whole.

Their deadly saliva contains more than 50 types of bacteria and they commonly kill by biting at an animal's legs and tendons, leaving it to die of septicaemia.

The ZSL is working in Indonesia to verify new sightings of the lizards and will participate in a captive breeding programme.

Sir David Attenborough will on Monday officially open the dragon lair, which features a replica of a deer carcass. Their lair is already open to the public.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3885821.stm
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Wow! Someones killing the Komodos! Maybe I should put this on the Konspiracy thread...

Zoo blamed for Komodo love fall

The RSPCA has criticised London Zoo after a rare Komodo dragon fell to her death while scaling a wall.
Six-feet-long Nina, who weighed 44lbs, died after scrambling up an eight foot dividing wall to reach her mate.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which has launched an inquiry into the death, had hoped Nina and mate Raja would be a major attraction.

But an RSPCA spokesman told BBC London it was shocked that London Zoo was so ill-prepared.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3583440.stm
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Dragons in Lebanon! Maybe itt was flushed down a toilet...

Giant Komodo dragon terrorises streets of Lebanon
By Neil Barnett, in Beirut
(Filed: 28/09/2003)

A dragon hunt is under way in Lebanon - the land in which St George reputedly slayed the demon beast - for a modern menace blamed for eating pets and wild animals in the Beirut suburbs.

Rabieh used to be known as an idyllic spot set in the hills and forests overlooking the Mediterranean, a symbol of calm, affluent suburban life. Now the fox calls that used to keep its residents awake at night have fallen silent. As family cats disappear, parents are keeping a wary eye on their children, fearing that a giant Komodo dragon once kept as a pet but now terrorising the neighbourhood, will soon claim a human victim.

Full story
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Wasnt one of the early explorers of indonesia killed by a Komodo dragon. They have been known to kill small children and adults.
 
I seem to remember that quite recently (last two years) the Oz tv news reported that a tourist had been eaten by a Kimodo on an island beach just north of Oz. I'll try to track the story down.
 
Veruca Salt said:
The article mentioned that komodo dragons are extremely dangerous and that careless tourists have ended up lizard food.
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How careless do you have to be to be eaten by a 9 foot Komodo Dragon?

What else do these careless tourists do?

Tickle hungry lions?

Stare into a spitting cobra's eyes for a laugh?

Or maybe its like careless tourists have been mugged in (insert city here),
which says a lot but means nothing.[/i]
 
Dessie said:
Wasnt one of the early explorers of indonesia killed by a Komodo dragon. They have been known to kill small children and adults.
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I think you are right - and for some reason I've got it in my head that he was some kind of European nobility as well!
 
How careless do you have to be to be eaten by a 9 foot Komodo Dragon?
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Maybe they Googled to find out about these creatures. I did immediately after reading the article and (stupidly) made conclusions by reading this informative piece:
"Although often regarded as pests, they are not a serious menace to humans"
http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/komodo.htm
Had I read any other reasults, this thread wouldn't exist.
But seriously, I think there's some sort of "dangerous animals aren't that dangerous"-thing going on. When you watch a tv programme about, say, sharks, they will always tell that great white sharks really don't eat that much people (which is true), that traffic accidents, bees and pet poodles kill more. The same thing about crocodiles etc. It's easy to forget that animal can still be extremely dangerous even if you've been told that the "bad" reputation has been exaggerated.
I do think it's good to tell people that some animals aren't that dangerous. Especially when it comes to species that need protection, but are loathed at the same time because of their bad reputation (like wolves). But that can have the effect that certain animals don't seem dangerous at all.
(forgot what I was going to write next, will be back soon)
 
My comment How careless do you have to be to be eaten by a 9 foot Komodo Dragon? was not designed to imply that people haven't been killed or eaten by these animals.

However, if I were in a strange city and saw someone who looked like a mugger approaching me, I would change direction and find security.

In the same way, if I were in Komodo country, and saw one of them approaching me, I would climb a tree or make sure that I could outrun the person next to me :D
 
Large Komodos feed on carrion or hunt animals along game trails: wild boar, sunda deer, water buffalo, large snakes, occasionally smaller Komodos.
About 16 scavenging dragons occupy a sq km
Large Komodos kill about one large prey ungulate (deer or boar) per month. This is supplemented with small prey (birds, rats)
Most lizards have broad flat tongues that are used primarily for food handling but varanids have snake-like tongues which lack tastebuds and can be retracted into a sheath. As the lizard searches for food or explores, the tongue is moved up and down through an arc sampling about 7 sq cm of air. Odor molecules are then carried back to the vomeronasal organs
Jaws close rapidly (enabling capture of fast-moving prey.) Prey is held (sometimes thrashed) until all movement ceases. Small prey is swallowed whole, usually head first. Large prey is sliced in pieces and devoured.
Tongue is partially attached to a skeletal structure called the hyoid apparatus. All snakes and lizards have such a structure which helps in swallowing large food items.
Swallowing is accomplished by pushing prey down the throat while the flexible jaws move forward to engulf it. Large prey is torn apart. The hyoid apparatus moves it back to the esophagus. Neck muscles bend from side to side to move food through the esophagus.
Ingestion rate may be as much as 2.5 kg/min - higher than any other predator except large snakes.
After a heavy feeding, Komodos drink from water holes produced by wild boar
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Source: http://library.sandiegozoo.org/Fact%20S ... Komodo.htm

I'd have to say that something that bring down a wild boar would certainly be capable of catching and killing a human.
 
lutzman said:
My comment How careless do you have to be to be eaten by a 9 foot Komodo Dragon? was not designed to imply that people haven't been killed or eaten by these animals.
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Sorry, I was being a bit unclear. I mean that people could have acted carelessly if they relied on such sources as I had quoted and have the assumption that dangerous animals aren't really that dangerous. Not everyone has common sense on these things and to be honest, I don't know how I would act if I saw a giant lizard I've never heard of before (and of which I hadn't precifially been warned). I mean, I woudn't try to cuddle it, but I'd probably be like "aren't those things supposed to be vegetarian?". This said, I do have to wonder how someone can think sticking their hand to tiger cage is a good idea.
 
Oi

Komodo dragons actually are quite dangerous-- but humans can coexist with them just like they can coexist with ANYTHING else on earth. And if there were still dinosaurs, we would be coexisting with them too. Just like lions and deer share the veldt, and sharks and little fishies. So it is a little silly to be overly terrified of anything. There is no Jaws, or spiders like in Arachnaphobia who will destroy the human race. No Mothra or Godzilla. And if there WERE a Godzilla he'd probably stick to the jungle.
But when you go into an animal's territory, a territory unknown to you-- THEN you better watch out.
I once saw a documentary on the Komodo dragon saliva, and researchers who were studying it. A team went out to collect some more saliva, with a camera crew. So they're out on this island, in the bush, and over there, there's one coming. Then another person looks, and over there is another one. Next thing you know, about 15 of these buggers are converging on them from all directions, at a pretty good pace. The entire crew makes a mad dash for a tree. It was HILARIOUS. It was also frightening. Don't recall how they managed to escape eventually.
The fact is, these things will track you. Endlessly. They're after you long before you have any idea of it. And by the time you see one, why, you've probably attracted ten others too, and there's nowhere to run! They also won't kill you at once, necessarily. They bite you though, and in about 24 hours after you have dragged your sick butt off, and died from an infestation of horrendous bacteria, they'll stroll on over and dine.
 
Re: Oi

amea_gari said:
They bite you though, and in about 24 hours after you have dragged your sick butt off, and died from an infestation of horrendous bacteria, they'll stroll on over and dine.
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I seem to recall their saliva contains a form of Necrosis though I can't find anyhting except very vague statements like:

Scientists have identified over 15 strains of bacteria in the Komodo dragon's saliva.
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Maybe I saw the necrosis bit on a movie? :confused:
 
amea_gari said:
The fact is, these things will track you. Endlessly. They're after you long before you have any idea of it. And by the time you see one, why, you've probably attracted ten others too, and there's nowhere to run! They also won't kill you at once, necessarily. They bite you though, and in about 24 hours after you have dragged your sick butt off, and died from an infestation of horrendous bacteria, they'll stroll on over and dine.
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:eek!!!!:
That's nice. Now can we forget the komodo dragons and talk about hamsters instead? I think anyone over six shouldn't lose their sleep over the possibility of being eaten by komodo dragons. They can't climb, though, can they..?
 
Center for Parasitology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA.

During the months of November 1996, August 1997, and March 1998, saliva and plasma samples were collected for isolation of aerobic bacteria from 26 wild and 13 captive Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis). Twenty-eight Gram-negative and 29 Gram-positive species of bacteria were isolated from the saliva of the 39 Komodo dragons. A greater number of wild than captive dragons were positive for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The average number of bacterial species within the saliva of wild dragons was 46% greater than for captive dragons. While Escherichia coli was the most common bacterium isolated from the saliva of wild dragons, this species was not present in captive dragons. The most common bacteria isolated from the saliva of captive dragons were Staphylococcus capitis and Staphylococcus capitis and Staphylococcus caseolyticus, neither of which were found in wild dragons. High mortality was seen among mice injected with saliva from wild dragons and the only bacterium isolated from the blood of dying mice was Pasteurella multocida. A competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed the presence of anti-Pasteurella antibody in the plasma of Komodo dragons. Four species of bacteria isolated from dragon saliva showed resistance to one or more of 16 antimicrobics tested. The wide variety of bacteria demonstrated in the saliva of the Komodo dragon in this study, at least one species of which was highly lethal in mice and 54 species of which are known pathogens, support the observation that wounds inflicted by this animal are often associated with sepsis and subsequent bacteremia in prey animals.
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Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... t=Abstract

Aha confusion of my latin terms the flesh eating necrosis thing is apparently
A beta hemolytic streptococcal
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not a Staphylococcus. Silly me...... :roll:

Source for the necrosis: http://www.pulsus.com/Paeds/06_05/davi_ed.htm
 
Veruca Salt said:
They can't climb, though, can they..?
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They can but often they can't be bothered and so just chew through the tree and eat the silly monkey-shaped thing with the camera hiding in it. Then they eat the camera, and then the tree, just to eliminate all evidence of the hit. Then they get a respray so they can't be traced and head back to the hood for another mission.


This may not be literally true but would make for an entertaining computer game nonethless.
 
The Yithian said:
This may not be literally true but would make for an entertaining computer game nonethless.
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Grand Theft Komodo?

No doubt two months after the game came out someone would bite someone leaving 16 types of bacteria and blame it all on the game.....
 
Heckler said:
The Yithian said:
This may not be literally true but would make for an entertaining computer game nonethless.
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Grand Theft Komodo?

No doubt two months after the game came out someone would bite someone leaving 16 types of bacteria and blame it all on the game.....
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Grand Theft Komodo: San Ateeloss

(Again with Welcome to the jungle playing over the advert)

:D
 
Well if climbing trees is out of the question, just make sure you can run faster than the cameraman!
 
lutzman said:
Well if climbing trees is out of the question, just make sure you can run faster than the cameraman!
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Note to self, when making jungle wildlife films always ensure that cameraperson / soundperson is fat and unfit in case this situation arises. :twisted:
 
Heckler said:
Note to self, when making jungle wildlife films always ensure that cameraperson / soundperson is fat and unfit...
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...and covered in barbecue sauce.
 
Hopefully they'll eat the visitors

A photo of a Komodo dragon facing a truck has raised concerns about a "Jurassic Park" attraction being built on an Indonesian island.

The multi-million dollar site is part of the government's plans to overhaul tourism in Komodo National Park. The viral image has sparked questions about the impact on the conservation of the famed dragons, the world's largest lizards. Officials said no dragons had been harmed and their safety was paramount.

Komodo dragons are only found in the wild on a handful of Indonesian islands where they are estimated to have roamed for millions of years. They draw visitors from around the world and in recent years authorities have grappled with how to manage conservation and tourism in the national park.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54701239
 
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