East Nusa Tenggara asks Bali to return four Komodo dragons

Yemris Fointuna ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara   |  Thu, 08/06/2009 1:04 PM  |  National

Deputy Governor of East Nusa Tenggara Esthon Foenay asked the management of Bali Safari Park on Thursday to return four Komodo dragons to their natural habitat in the eastern province.

“Komodo is a rare animal. How can a rare species be found almost everywhere? We hope institutions or individuals who possess the reptiles will voluntarily return them to us,” Esthon said.

The deputy governor’s request comes on the heels of controversy over a central government plan to resettle 10 Komodo dragons from East Nusa Tenggara to the safari park in Bali.

Esthon said the East Nusa Tenggara government and people had been questioning how the Bali park management could secure the four Komodo dragons.

“Komodo is our identity and dignity. Anyone who intends to conduct a study on the species, please come to its natural habitat here,” Esthon said.

Head of the Komodo National Park, Tamen Sitorus, said the Bali park might have secured the dragons from a number of zoos across the country which had successfully bred the reptiles.

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