14 July 2016
The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard and lives wild on five islands in southeast Indonesia. They have quite good protection on four of the islands, as they are part of Komodo National Park. However, the fifth island, Flores, is unprotected, which is why a conservation programme, the Komodo Dragon Conservation Project, has been established there. 19 institutions are supporting this project, including Parken Zoo. It is also supported by EAZA and the EEP programme for Komodo dragons.
Thanks to the project, the monitoring station in the Wae Wuul Reserve – located on Flores – has been restored and expanded. There are plans to do the same in other parts of the island. The Komodo dragon population and its prey are monitored there. The threat to the Komodo dragons on the island has been reduced, partly through school education. Local residents have also been involved in protecting the reserve, thereby encouraging the villagers living on the island to protect and care for the Komodo dragons and their surrounding environment.
The Komodo Dragon Conservation project is the first and only project to have an agreement with the Indonesian government to monitor and work on the conservation of Komodo dragons in Indonesia.
Come and visit our Komodo dragon, Verner, at Parken Zoo. He can be found in the Asian section of the park.