Komodo dragon, image only (Photo credit: AFP)
Surabaya: Indonesian authorities said on Wednesday they had arrested six people suspected of smuggling endangered Komodo dragons native to the archipelago and transporting them to Thailand.In February, two suspects were arrested in Surabaya, a port city on Java’s east coast, from a boat carrying three live Komodo dragons, the world’s largest living lizards.Further investigation led to four more arrests in the following weeks.Police said the animals were obtained from “vendors or hunters” in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, where they are native to several small islands.The suspects are accused of buying the dragons for 5.5 million rupees (about $320) each and selling them for six times that amount, apparently for shipment to customers in Thailand.According to East Java police, the suspects have smuggled and traded at least 20 Komodo dragons since January last year and made a profit of about US$33,000.They face up to five years in prison and fines.The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Komodo dragon as an endangered species, with a global population of approximately 3,400 individuals, including juveniles.The fearsome reptiles, which can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) long and weigh up to 90 kilograms (200 pounds), are threatened by human activities and climate change that destroy their habitat.Poachers collect them to sell as pets or show animals.Wild Komodo dragons are only found in Indonesia’s World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park and the neighboring island of Flores.Police said on Wednesday they had also arrested two suspects for allegedly smuggling 140 kilograms of pangolin scales from the northwestern province of Riau to Surabaya.Pangolins are one of the most endangered species in the world, and their scales are prized in countries such as China and Vietnam, where they are used in traditional remedies even though they have no scientifically proven medicinal value.
