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recently circulated image showing the horrific scene of a fishing boat carrying dozens of dead deer has triggered concerns about wildlife conservation violations at the Komodo National Park in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara.

The deer were reportedly killed by suspected illegal hunters operating in the national park, which is the home to the rare Komodo dragon.

Dwi Putro Sugiarto, head of Komodo National Park’s management division, said his institution was still investigating the authenticity of the picture. “We are investigating whether the deer were killed by illegal hunters inside the Komodo National Park or whether they came from outside the conservation area,” Sugiarto told The Jakarta Post on Monday. It also remains unknown whether the picture was taken recently, he added.

Netizen Agus Pambagyo, who is also a public policy expert from the University of Indonesia (UI), shared his concerns about the picture on his Facebook account.

“Deer are the primary food of the Komodo dragons. If they are continuously hunted down without control this could threaten the sustainability of the Komodo’s food resources. Just imagine what could happen if the Komodo dragons were hungry and we were there at the same time. Let’s prevent the mass hunting of deer at Komodo National Park,” he wrote.

Sugiarto said illegal deer hunting had long been a major problem facing conservation efforts in the national park. Over hunting could impact Komodo populations in the area, he added. “Illegal hunting threatens the conservation of the Komodo dragon. With depleted food sources, the species is likely to go extinct,” he said.

According to official data, Komodo National Park is home to 2,430 Komodo dragons, which live on its five islands. Of the total, 1,156 Komodo dragons live on Komodo Island while Rinca Island is home to 1,186 individuals of the world’s largest living lizard. Meanwhile, two islands — Gili Motang and Padar — have 44 and 3 Komodo dragons respectively. The remainders can be found on Nusa Kode.

West Manggarai Watch chairman Stanislaus Stan said the mass wildlife hunting had gone on for quite a long time and was difficult to control.

“It is suspected the deer hunters are from Sape or Bima in West Nusa Tenggara [NTB]. They have sophisticated equipment and some of them possess weapons. The best solution to the problem is not to use weapons owned by the Komodo National Park to fight against them but to promote how the park can bring benefits to the NTB people,” Stanislaus told the Post. Komodo Survival Program (KSP) director Achmad Ariefiandy said tight security operations conducted by Komodo National Park personnel once managed to stop illegal wildlife hunting in the area. Food depletion and land conversion are the two major factor that may lead to the extinction of the Komodo dragon.

He said Komodos could still be found in several areas across Flores Island, such as in Longos Island, Tanjung Kereta Mesen and Nangabere.

“We conducted research with the Komodo Flores expedition team in 2015 and resumed the survey recently. We found Komodo dragons on islands across Flores. But they may go extinct if their food resources are depleted and their habitats are converted into plantations,” said Achmad.

He said the government must pay close attention to the problem as it directly handled the management of the Komodo National Park. “We hope the National Police chief [Gen.Tito Karnavian] will investigate the case and pursue the perpetrators, as well as launch operations to confiscate hand-made weapons circulating in Bima and Sape,” said Achmad.