Indonesia’s environment ministry on Tuesday sought to calm outrage over construction of an island tourism project being dubbed “Jurassic Park”, after an image went viral on social media of a Komodo dragon facing off with a big truck.
The picture of the dragon, one of the world’s largest lizards, blocking the path of a big vehicle on Indonesia’s Rinca Island prompted an outpouring of anger about perceived threats to the natural habitat of the vulnerable species.
Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the picture.
It was shared by Save Komodo Now, a collective of activists, who wrote: “This is the first time Komodos are hearing the roar of engines and the smell of smoke. What will the future impact of these projects be? Does anyone still care about conservation?”
Wiratno, a senior environment ministry official, said rangers would ensure the safety of dragons roaming near the construction, which will include an elevated deck, a dam and an information centre, to be completed in June.
“They will intensively make checks of whether the Komodo dragons are under the buildings, remnants of buildings, and under the trucks carrying material,” he said in a statement.
Komodo dragons are only found in the wild on a handful of Indonesian islands where they are estimated to have roamed for millions of years.
They draw visitors from around the world and in recent years authorities have grappled with how to manage conservation and tourism in the national park. Indonesia’s current Komodo population is about 3,000, according to government data. Most of them – around 1,700 – live on Komodo Island, and around 1,000 more live on Rinca. The national park as a whole is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Komodo dragons reach up to 10 feet (3 metres) long, have curved and serrated teeth, a yellow forked tongue, strong limbs and a long tail.
They can take down prey as big as a water buffalo with a single venomous bite.
Last year a controversial decision to close Komodo Island – home to most of the lizards – and expel the 2,000 inhabitants who have lived alongside the reptiles for generations was dropped.
Instead authorities said they would introduce a $1,000 membership scheme to visit the island, moving away from mass tourism in a bid to protect the dragons and their habitat.
But around the same time they also unveiled plans for a mass tourist development on neighbouring Rinca Island, which is home to the second-largest population of Komodo dragons.
The project, which involves the country’s public works and housing ministry, seeks to cater to visitors of the Komodo National Park, where the Komodos can be seen in the wild.
Social media users have likened the project to one on a dinosaur island featured in the “Jurassic Park” films.
The public works ministry in a statement on Monday also assured the safety of the Komodos.
But environmentalists said the construction must stop.
“Komodo needs to be the main priority. They need to be protected in a designated area,” said Umbu Wulang Tanaamahu Paranggi, director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) in East Nusa Tenggara.
“What’s going on now is a destruction of the dragons’ living spaces.”