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URABAYA: East Java Governor Soekarwo said Wednesday that six endangered Komodo dragons are dying at the Surabaya Zoo due to food shortage and illness.

“The six Komodos are paralyzed and may soon die unless something is done to save them,” he said as quoted by Antara on Wednesday.

“They are enclosed in a small cage that is not even exposed to the sun.” The internal-conflict-ridden zoo, billed to be the biggest in Southeast Asia, has lost more than 600 of its animals, including an African lion, over the past few years largely due to neglect.

Recently, the government took over its management and formed a team tasked with saving the animals, many of which belong to endangered species.

“One report said that the main cause of the animals’ deaths was the lack of clean drinking water,” he said.

“The provincial and city administrations want to buy a water purifier but the Rp 12 billion price tag is just extraordinary.”

The local government is also considering relocating the zoo to a mangrove forest area. —JP