Komodo Dragon, representative image only (Image source: AFP)
Surabaya: Indonesian authorities announced on Wednesday that they had arrested six people allegedly involved in smuggling endangered Komodo dragons, native to the archipelago and destined for Thailand.Two suspects were arrested last February in the coastal city of Surabaya on the east coast of Java, while disembarking from a ship carrying three live Komodo dragons, the largest living lizard in the world.Further investigations led to the arrest of four more in the following weeks.Police said the animals were obtained from “suppliers or poachers” in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, where they are native to a group of small islands.The suspects are accused of buying the dragons for 5.5 million rupees (about $320) apiece and selling them for six times the price, apparently to be shipped to customers in Thailand.According to East Java Police, the suspects have smuggled and traded at least 20 Komodo dragons since January last year, earning about $33,000.They face up to five years in prison and a fine.The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the Komodo dragon as critically endangered, with a global population of about 3,400, including juveniles.
The fearsome reptiles, which can grow up to three meters (10 feet) long and weigh up to 90 kilograms (200 pounds), are threatened by human activity and climate change that is destroying their habitat.Hunters collect them to sell as pets or for display.Komodo dragons are only found in the wild in Indonesia’s World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and on the neighboring island of Flores.Police said on Wednesday they had also arrested two suspects for smuggling 140 kilograms of pangolin scales from northwestern Riau province to Surabaya.Pangolins are among the most endangered species in the world, and their scales are highly prized in countries such as China and Vietnam, where they are used in traditional treatments even though they offer no scientifically proven medical benefit.
