Thu, 07/30/2009 12:53 PM | The Archipelago
KUPANG: East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Governor Frans Leburaya said Wednesday that he and legislative council leaders would meet Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban in Jakarta to protest the central government's plans to relocate Komodo dragons to Bali.
The minister has issued a decree to catch and move 10 Komodo dragons to the Sapari Park in Bali from their natural habitat in the Wae Wu'ul Forest in Flores, for a breeding program and genetic testing, to protect the endangered species from extinction.
Leburaya said his administration and most people in NTT opposed the relocation plan, arguing the breeding program should be carried out in their natural habitat. - JP