T

he provincial administration of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has voiced their people's objection to a government plan to relocate 10 Komodo dragons to Bali for a breeding program to help protect the endangered species from extinction.

NTT Governor Frans Leburaya conveyed the message of protest in a formal letter to Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban.

Kaban earlier issued a decree ordering 10 Komodo dragons be caught and relocated from their endemic habitat in the Wae Wu'ul forest to Bali.

"In principle, the provincial administration and people appreciate the central government's initiative for the sake of preventing the Komodo dragons from extinction. However, it should also listen to the aspirations of the people of East Nusa Tenggara," Luburaya said in Kupang on Tuesday.

"The provincial administration has sent a formal letter to the forestry minister in the hope he will review the decree," said Leburaya. The breeding program, Leburaya said, could be carried out within the animals' natural habitat in West Manggerai.

"The most natural way to conduct genetic tests is in the species original surroundings," he said.

Wildlife Protection division head of the East Nusa Tenggara Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA), Agus Bere Laku, said plans for the relocation of the dragons were not set in stone.

"The plan still needs to be discussed, especially considering the objections from the provincial administration and people," said Agus. The BKSDA was made aware of a ministerial decree on May 13, which stipulated it had permission to catch the protected animals within the provincial jurisdiction for the sake of the preserving the species.

The government, Agus said, had decided to carry out the planned breeding program after research by experts indicated that the offspring of Komodo dragons would be more likely to survive if they were bred through the studbook breeding system at the new location.

He said the government was concerned about the dwindling population of the endangered species, which currently stands at around 2,500 because of their cannibalistic manner.

The 10 animals, five male and five female, will be bred at the Bali Safari Park in Gianyar, Bali. The park has experience breeding other endangered wildlife, such as the endemic Jalak Bali bird and long neck turtle.

In Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, students from NTT staged a rally Tuesday protesting the planned relocation of the Komodo dragons from Flores island.

They claimed the relocation program was part of a corporate deal between the government and the private sector to shift the tourism appeal of the Komodo Islands to Bali.

"We demand the government revoke the decree and urge the NTT administration, legislative council and people to reject the plan," said protest coordinator Syaiful Syarifuddin.

The students argued that such a breeding program could be carried out in the rare species' natural habitat.

"The Komodo is a peculiar animal. Apparently in the past, some of the dragons taken from their habitats did no survive," said Syarif.