(TAN): A picture of a Komodo dragon facing two nervous construction workers looking at it from the top of their truck made the rounds on social media over the weekend. The picture, posted with neither timestamp nor credit to a specific photographer, was first uploaded by Instagram user @gregoriusafioma, reports said.
The image evoked the memory of the famous “Tank Man” photo from the Tiananmen Square protests in China in 1989, according to the people who commented on it.
The viral photo is thought to have been shot on Rinca Island in East Nusa Tenggara’s Labuan Bajo regency, where the central government is currently building premium tourist facilities.
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“That photo might actually be real because it looks to be part of the Komodo’s stomping ground, whereas the truck that is carrying construction materials just happens to be passing by,” Wiratno, the Environment and Forestry Ministry’s director general for natural resources and ecosystems was quoted as saying by the media.
However the official was quick to point out that the encounter was not necessarily dangerous for either lizard or man. But according to conservationists, these activities are detrimental to the lizard colony.
Despite ambitious plans to turn Labuan Bajo into a premium tourist destination, environmental activists and local tour guides have expressed concerns that it could threaten the Komodos’ natural habitat, and even put local visitors at an economic disadvantage.
They further said that the construction projects were not in line with the spirit of conserving the Komodos. Komodo dragons are solitary creatures, and construction activities that alter their natural habitat could endanger them.
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However, Wiratno defended the project, saying “Within a national park there is a core area, wildlife area and [land] use area. If someone has a permit to set up tourism facilities in the park, they may only erect buildings on 10% of the total area of concession.”
The Komodo dragon is a species of monitor lizard endemic to the islands in East Nusa Tenggara, and has the conservation status of “vulnerable”, meaning that they are likely to become endangered unless their ecosystems and reproduction abilities improve.
According to government data, there were 3,022 Komodo dragons in the wild in 2019, compared with the 2,897 specimens found in 2018. They are mainly concentrated on Komodo Island and Rinca Island.
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