A Komodo dragon in Indonesia has attacked two employees in
one of the giant lizards' protected island habitats, leaving its victims
hospitalised with serious injuries, an official said on Wednesday.
One victim, a 50-year-old park ranger, was sitting at his
desk at the Rinca island front office, where tourists usually check in, when
the 2m-long monitor snuck into his room on Tuesday afternoon.
"The man panicked when he saw the Komodo and tried to
escape by jumping on a chair, but the Komodo quickly grabbed and bit one of his
legs," Komodo National Park official Heru Rudiharto said
Rudiharto said the ranger was the victim of a similar Komodo
attack in 2009 and was still traumatised.
Another employee, aged 35, heard the ranger scream and
quickly ran to his aid, but the lizard also attacked him, taking a bite at his
leg.
Both are in good condition after being given stitches at a
health clinic, Rudiharto said, but they are being monitored in hospital to
ensure an infection does not develop.
Until recently, Komodos were believed to hunt with a
"bite and wait" strategy using toxic bacteria in their saliva to
weaken or kill their prey, before descending in numbers to feast.
But recent research found that the dragons' jaws are armed
with highly sophisticated poison glands that can cause paralysis, spasms and
shock through haemorrhaging.
They are native to several Indonesian islands and are
considered a vulnerable species, with only a few thousand left in the world.
Their normal diet consists of large mammals, reptiles and
birds.
A Komodo in October attacked a woman collecting grass for
animal feed at the park, Rudiharto said. She has recovered from a serious leg
injury.
The world's largest monitor lizard, Komodos can grow up to
3m and typically weigh to 70kg.
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