Here There Be Dragons. But Can They Survive an Invasion of Tourists?

Try as I might, I couldn't get the dulcet tones of Bob & Ray out of my head while I read this. I guess they were ahead of their time.

It would be great if the same NYT's team could return and focus on documenting the experience and understanding of the generations of folks who've grown up and grown old sharing the islands with the dragons. Their stories and photographs will have to be enough. If the dragons are already being fed chickens and goats, I can't imagine the islands' indigenous community believes the dragons can survive a further increase in tourism.

Several years ago we visited Komodo Island on a cruise ship excursion. The local guides/rangers were very conscientious about having the tourists keep their distance. Although it would be a shame to curtail tourists on the island, it would be even sadder if the Komodo Dragons disappeared.

It's not only the numbers of tourists; it is the behavior of so many of them. From wanting to feed a grizzly bear a cookie to getting a few feet from a bison, we want to show our dominance, get that "like" on social media, and be able to brag about it afterwards. "For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they are more finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other Nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth." (Henry Beston)

Feed the tourists to the dragons. Great sport. Would make a good reality TV show.

Who will win, the dragons or the tourist dollars? Are you serious? They are already building hotels and enlarging and upgrading the ports. Guarantees have been given. And if cruise ships are docking, the operators have long-term contracts involving the dragons that would include an enormous $ penalty if revoked. Increased tourism is already fait accompli. Perhaps tourism will be decreased when the dragons are very near extinction--but certainly not before then.

I was on Komodo Island in 1998 and remember it’s pristine and wild beauty, as well as the absolutely terrifying power of the Komodo dragons. These animals are a treasure on earth. I hope the Indonesian government makes the right decision for them, the world and for the Indonesian government’s own long-term interests and closed the park until the habitat is healthy enough and until a sustainable tourism plan is put in place.

Humans are the worlds most prolific and dangerous invasive species.

Tourism is an important part of sustaining the local economy. You can also limit the amount of daily visitors, ban cruise ships and raise the entrance fees. For example, if you want to visit the Van Gough museum in Amsterdam you can purchase the ticket only online and the number of hourly visitors gets controlled. I will visit Labuan Bajo next month as the area is an interesting investment opportunity.

let them be for goodness sake...…..let them be and live.....holiday someplace else

You want to hang out with Komodo dragons. I think you need a checkup from the neckup. Read about Sharon Stone's husband. And he got away alive. Barely.

Do Bob & Ray know about this?

This saddens me in a way that I can't comprehend.

Who needs them? tourists or dragons? Get rid of both.

“If we have warned them and they do not listen, it’s their own fault if the Komodo eat them,” Mr. Yosef said. “It is our offering to the Komodo.” What a cool response. Can we offer trump up as an offering somewhere?

Everything should be done to find a win win situation between the dragons, the locals, and the tourists. Charging much more may be the solution the way Rwanda and Uganda do with the mountain gorillas. Banning tourists will only mean that the rich and powerful get to experience the sight of a dragon in their habitat. That is the reality.

I saw a komodo dragon years ago in a zoo setting. The school children who were also visiting had plenty of superficial remarks about this magnificent and malevolent creature who seemed to regard us with a way eye. He or she should have been in nature. Instead we were objectifying this reptile's life. It was a sad commentary on the zoo and the watchers. Let species live if they can in the world they should inhabit. They were not put here for our amusement.

Douglas Adams' "Last Chance To See" has a chapter on his visit to Komodo and on the despoiling of that part of the world. His usual prescience applies to this pressure quite aptly.

Although they were in fact computer generated, the two Komodo Dragons that put paid to a villain in the James Bond blockbuster “Skyfall” scared me more than any bad guy from ”SPECTRE.” Apparently the animators, technicians and artists, partly working with lizards at the London Zoo, found it very difficult to create realistic CG versions because they are generally quite static- except when feeding or fighting...

Thank you for beautiful photos and an incisive report from Indonesia- a country and whose folks I love. I lived there for over a decade - working in the oil patch. I must have visited Bali at least 30 times - and these photographed spots brought joyous memories back. And never did I end up regretting visiting Bali - even in the aftermath of the horrible bombing in which a few Aussie acquaintances perished. But I never went to Komodo - because Bali was so satisfying. Indonesians are very enterprising folks - and I expect they will find a local solution to this problem. I wish them the best as they deserve nothing less.

Minnewaska is a State Park Preseve which demands more highly thought out protections than do State Parks.

Ten foot lizards! I think the real question is whether tourists can survive a stampede of Komodo dragons.

Ban the cruise ships. They can and do crush local areas

Tourists should be banned from Komodo National Park. The village leaders are right! It should be illegal for cruise ships (aka massive floating sewage producers) to get anywhere near the island. One needs only to look at Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes to name just three. Thousands of tourists equals destruction of what used to be quiet and pristine and drop dead gorgeous lands.

I am actually going to Indonesia this November and visiting the Komodo National Park. On the one hand, I am glad I have the chance to see the dragons. On the other I am also glad that the Park will be closed in 2020. I did not know the Park is in danger and I am part of the problem. I will be in a small English hiking group embedded in a cruise ship. I have been in a cruise ship only once before and this will be my last time as I do not normally take cruises. Taking care of the environment is to be applauded. On a smaller scale, barbecuing is no longer allowed at Minnewaska State Park as the grounds were negatively affected. I had always liked to see the families enjoying themselves with their cooking and games. Restricting harmful human practices is, we should all see, is the way to go.

I am so glad I visited Komodo back in the 1990's when there were hardly any tourists. We were on a multi-night boat trip with a dozen backpackers traveling from Lombok to Flores, with a stop at Komodo on the way. It was quite the adventure and very rough going (and crazy inexpensive - maybe $60 for the trip). At the time Komodo felt like the most remote place in the world... which made it all the more amazing. I can't imagine visiting it with a cruise ship in port! I hope the government does a better job protecting Komodos than it has protecting the Borneo Orangutans.

Limiting tourism makes sense. Conservation efforts don’t just apply to recycling our plastic or cutting down on eating meat, but with other sacrifices as well. I really admire their priorities and I hope they are successful.