The Aftermath Of Komodo Bit The Hands Of A 4-Year-Old Child, KLHK Builds A 1.4 Kilometer Fence

Illustration - Two Komodo dragons (Varanus Komodoensis) inhabitants of Komodo Island (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) has fenced a number of village areas within the Komodo National Park area, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) to protect local residents from being attacked by Komodo dragons.

"Now we are doing a 1.4-kilometer fencing because there is a case of a child being bitten (by a Komodo) in Komodo Village," said the Director-General of Conservation of Natural Resources Ecosystems (KLHK), Wiratno in a written statement reported by Antara, Saturday, February 20.

The case of a child being bitten which is mentioned previously is a child aged 4.5 years old living on Komodo Island with the initials F, who was bitten by a Komodo dragon on Saturday, January 16, until his wrist broke.

Wiratno explained that follow-up efforts to prevent similar cases were fencing off an area of 1.4 kilometers. Fencing is carried out at several points within the Komodo National Park area, namely in Kampung Komodo, Kerora, and Rinca.

Wiratno further said that residents living in the Komodo National Park area were also not relocated.

The living space of the people in the area has been put into a special zone covering an area of around 310 hectares.

"So they are not evicted or moved. There is no such program in the concept of National Park management," he said.

Wiratno said that the government, through the Directorate General of KSDA and the Komodo National Park, is actually trying to improve the welfare of the community through a conservation partnership program.

The program for the next five years, which is prepared with a focus on community-based ecotourism in three villages, will be developed together with the Komodo National Park, the Labuan Bajo Flores Tourism Authority Agency (BOPLBF), and the Trisakti Tourism College.