The East Nusa Tenggara administration announced plans to close Komodo National Park for one year

News24xx.com -  To increase the local population of Komodo dragons and deer, the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) administration makes a shock announced.

They has announced its plans to temporarily close Komodo National Park to visitors for one year. But, the administration did not announce the dates of the temporary closure.

As quoted from the NTT Governor statement, Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat on Tuesday, January 22 2019, he said, "The NTT administration will make [the necessary] arrangements for Komodo National Park."

Viktor said that the park's closure was intended to give the provinicial administration easier access in managing the park and developing the dragons' habitat.

He said that lizards in the current population were not as big as they used to be, attributing this to a decline in the local deer population due to poaching. 

As we know, deer are the main prey of the carnivorous Komodo dragons, which can grow as large as 150 kilograms and eat about "80 percent of its body weight in a single feeding", according to National Geographic. This means that a 100-kilogram lizard can eat 80 kg of meat in a single sitting.

Viktor said there was a possibility that the lizards could prey on their own kind if the deer population continued to decline.

“Its natural instinct will emerge when the population of one of the animals in the Komodo dragon’s food chain declines. If food is abundant, the Komodo dragons will employ a different instinct. This is why the administration wants to manage the Komodo dragon's habitat by temporarily closing the area to visitors for one year.” he said.