Yosef was bitten on his right hand and leg at 11:30 a.m. He was repairing the front office toilet at Loh Buaya Resort in Rinca Island when a Komodo dragon suddenly attacked him.

Komodo National Park head Sudiyono said on Friday that Yosef received several stitches to his right hand and leg.  “The victim was moved from Loh Buaya, Rinca Island, by a speedboat owned by the Komodo National Park Management Agency. He suffered from a torn muscle to his right leg while he received a light injury to his right hand,” Sudiyono said.

He said the agency left matters of health and safety at the resort in the hands of the workers construction companies. “We have reminded them about the behavior of komodo dragons. They have a natural instinct of attacking anything nearby,” said Sudiyono.  

The national park’s spokesperson Margaretha Priska said 31 people had been bitten by komodo dragons in the conservation area. Baron Rudolf, the first person bitten by the rare species, died after he was bitten in 1974. Five people, including Rudolf, have reportedly died from the komodo dragon's deadly bite.

“Most of the victims lived on Rinca and Komodo Islands,” said Margaretha. (hol/ebf)

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