"Last Dragons of the Earth": Indonesia wants to make visit the Komodo - Warans expensive

In Indonesia, the view of the supposedly "last dragons of the world" should be really expensive. According to plans of the authorities, the visit to the Komodo National Park, where several thousand Komodo monitors are at home, will cost about 440 euros in future. So far, the entry was just over 9 euros.

The Komodo monitors are up to three meters long and more than 70 kilograms heavy. Because of their appearance, they are also called Komodo dragons. On the IUCN Red List, they are listed as "endangered" and the risk of extinction in nature in the immediate future is high.

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The Unesco protected national park is located on Komodo, Rinca and Padar and other smaller islands belonging to Little Sund Islands and located about 1500 kilometers away from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

The governor of the province, Victor Laiskodat, announced in the daily "Kompas" that he wanted to make the national park a tourist luxury destination. "This is a place only for people who have money," said the governor. "This is a place for extraordinary people, who does not have enough money, does not need to come."

Currently, about 10,000 tourists visit the Komodo National Park every month. In early August, a fire had destroyed about ten hectares of land in the reserve. At that time, the Indonesian Director General for Natural Resources and Ecosystems, Wiratno, announced that it was planning to halve the number of visitors.

The tourist rush has a negative impact on the environment, said Wiratno. "The mountains of garbage left by the tourists damage the national park." The government planned to introduce an online registration for visitors. At the same time, however, the infrastructure for the tourists should be expanded, which caused fierce protests among environmentalists.

In total, about 5000 monitors are at home on the Small Sund Islands. The animals - sometimes referred to as the "last dragons of the world" - have a reputation for being quite aggressive. Attacks on humans are rare.