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Indonesian ranger escapes Komodo dragon attack
[February 23, 2010] JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- An Indonesian park ranger escaped an attack by a Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard species, when his colleagues heard his cries for help and drove the reptile away.
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Marcelinus Subanghadir was outside his hut on Komodo Island late Monday when a nearly 7-foot-long (more than 2-meter-long) dragon grabbed hold of his right foot, Komodo National Park chief Tamen Sitorus said. The dragon had Subanghadir's foot clamped in its shark-like, serrated teeth until fellow rangers heard his screams and drove it off with wooden clubs, Sitorus said. Subanghadir, 34, suffered deep lacerations and was recovering at a hospital on nearby Bali. Komodo dragons can be found in the wild only on the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca. The lizards -- thought to number fewer than 4,000 -- can grow longer than 10 feet (3 meters) and weigh 150 pounds (70 kilograms). An 8-year-old boy was killed by one of the lizards in 2007 on Komodo Island. |
