SOUTH AFRICA: Breeding pair of Komodo dragons arrive safely in Pretoria from the Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia
Record ID:
455188
SOUTH AFRICA: Breeding pair of Komodo dragons arrive safely in Pretoria from the Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia
- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: Breeding pair of Komodo dragons arrive safely in Pretoria from the Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia
- Date: 4th February 2006
- Summary: (L!2) PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, (JANUARY 31, 2006), (REUTERS) WIDE SHOT ZOO OFFICIALS CARRYING CRATES WITH THE DRAGONS, AND INDONESIAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN OFFICIALS WATCHING; CLOSE UP DRAGON INSIDE CRATE; OFFICIALS BREAKING SEAL FOR CRATE OFFICIALS AND THE MEDIA AROUND CRATES INDONESIAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN OFFICIALS SHAKING HANDS ENTRANTS TO THE DRAGON MONSTERS; VISITORS TO THE ZOO LOOKING AROUND; INFORMATION BOARD ON KOMODO DRAGONS WIDE ONE OF THE DRAGONS WALKING AROUND ENCLOSURE; CLOSE UP TAIL SLIDING ALONG GROUND OFFICIALS LOOKING AROUND THE ENCLOSURE; CLOSE UPS DRAGON (6 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA TO SOUTH AFRICA SUGENG RAHARDJO SAYING: "This is an animal, a pre-historic animal that exist today in the world, and this is very important I think for all the people to learn from the Komodo, how the dinosaur or something like that lived before a thousand years ago." CLOSE UP DRAGON (2 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF SOUTH AFRICA, WILLIE LABUSCHAGNE SAYING: "We are very grateful because not only from an awareness situation were people will be made aware of the importance of the Komodo Dragons, but indeed also country and island which are thousand kilometres away from us, but also in terms of our contribution to conserving these animals. I believe that the enclosure that we have here is ideally suited to accommodate these animals and it is certainly our intentions to embark on a breeding programme." CLOSE UP DRAGON; PEOPLE AROUND THE ENCLOSURE (3 SHOTS)
- Embargoed: 19th February 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: South Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Nature / Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA6M7SSHWYZCRJ1YCVSPMIZBVH6
- Story Text: The Executive Director of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Willie Labuschagne, on Monday (January 31) announced the arrival of a breeding pair of Komodo Dragons from Indonesia. These giant reptiles were received from the Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia.
"We are very grateful because not only from an awareness situation were people will be made aware of the importance of the Komodo Dragons," said Labuschagne.
In 2005, as a token of the good relations between Indonesia and South Africa, the President of Indonesia gave a pair of Komodo Dragons to President Thabo Mbeki. In turn, President Mbeki gave his Indonesian counterpart a pair of Cheetahs. As both Komodo Dragons and Cheetah feature on the red data list of highly endangered species, these are valuable gifts indeed.
The Komodo Dragons will be placed in quarantine for a period of 30 days at the National Zoo. This is a standard prerequisite of the Department of Agriculture.
There are an estimated 3 500 Komodo Dragons left in the wilds of the Komodo Island, off the coast of Indonesia. As a result, these large reptiles now enjoy the privilege of being regarded as a protected species by order of the President of Indonesia, with guarded preserves keeping the remaining animals safe from harm.
What makes the Komodo Dragon extremely dangerous is that its mouth is filled with a poisonous bacteria caused by rotting food fragments lodged between its serrated teeth. Should prey escape its powerful grasp, it's sure to die within a few days from infection in the bite wound. The animal's saliva contains four deadly strains of bacteria that are capable of causing severe blood poisoning.
A Komodo Dragon can eat as much as 80 per cent of its own body weight in one sitting. This is the equivalent of a person weighting 95 kilograms eating 76kg of food at one time! - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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