KOMODO DRAGONS ATTACKS ON HUMANS

Komodo dragon swallowing food

Rachel Nuwer wrote on smithsonian.com, “Though attacks are exceptionally rare, they do occasionally occur, mostly when a park guard lets his focus slip for a moment, or a villager has a particularly unlucky day. Occasionally tourists are the victims.... In 2008, a group of SCUBA divers found themselves swept from waters near their boat by the Flores region’s infamously strong current. After spending 10 hours spinning in the tide, around midnight the group washed up on the beach of what seemed like a deserted island, approximately 25 miles from where their ordeal had begun. Their troubles, however, were far from over. They had found their way to Rinca Island, where an estimate 1,300 dragons live. [Source:Rachel Nuwer, smithsonian.com, January 24, 2013 ***]

“The attacks began almost immediately, the Telegraph reports. A relentless lizard repeatedly came at a Swedish woman, who smacked it with her diving weight belt. It chewed at the lead belt while other divers threw rocks at its head, she said, all the while eyeing her bare feet. For two days and two nights, the traumatized divers contended with dragons and the tropical heat, surviving off of shellfish they scraped from rocks and ate raw. Finally, an Indonesian rescue crew spotted the diver’s orange emergency floats spread out on the rocks. Though in shock, the group rehydrated at the local hospital on Flores Island and celebrated their survival at the town’s Paradise Bar.” ***

When attacks occur they sometimes make the news. Jennifer S. Holland wrote in National Geographic: “In 2013, a 6.5-foot-long monitor wandered into an open office in KNP and bit two rangers, each on the left leg. The men were flown to Bali for treatment to prevent infection. Both recovered. In another incident an 83-year-old woman fought off a six-plus-footer with a homemade broom and well-placed kicks. The dragon bit her hand, which needed 35 stitches. “Other incidents have ended tragically. In 2007 a dragon attacked a village boy named Mansur, who had taken a break from a soccer game to relieve himself behind some trees. He died of blood loss...As for dragons that attack, the government has moved offenders away from villages, but the animals usually return. [Source: Jennifer S. Holland, National Geographic, January 2014]

In 2003, the BBC reported from Beruit: “He's big, he's a carnivore, he's terrorising the neighbourhood's residents, he's been swimming in people's pools and he's already claimed victims — several cats, a dog and apparently even a horse. In Lebanon, a giant lizard has been roaming the streets of a Beirut suburb for several weeks, eluding all the attempts by the authorities to catch it. He's Lebanon's own Komodo Dragon, or so say the witnesses who have seen him. It's believed that the one living just outside Beirut was brought to Lebanon by a German who lived here and eventually set him free.” [Source: Kim Ghattas, BBC, August 31, 2003]

Human Deaths Caused by Komodo Dragons

About a dozens human deaths have been attributed to Komodo dragons. Most of the victims were children. In one case a mother engaged in a tug of war with a dragon for her child and lost. There have also been reports of people being bitten and dying from infections and dragons feeding of dead bodies. Tourist sometimes complain that the lizards eye them as if they were prey. Periodically locals are attacked by dragons. Most are people sleeping out in the open.

In 2007 an eight-year-old boy went into the bushes to take a pee and never came back. Rachel Nuwer wrote on smithsonian.com, “The Guardian reported. The attack took place in March’s dry season, so rangers speculate that the murderous lizard may have been particularly hungry given that the watering holes – and the prey that gather there – had dried up. The dragon lunged when the boy went behind a bush to use the bathroom, MSNBC writes. Mr. Safina [a ranger at Komodo National Park] recalls the boy’s friends – who had been playing together in the scrubland near their village – rushing to get help from their parents. According to the Guardian, the boy’s uncle came running and threw rocks at the lizard until it released his nephew. While the Guardian writes that the boy died from massive bleeding from his torso, Mr. Safina recalls the boy being bitten in half. In light of the tragedy, park wardens launched an island-wide hunt for the man-eating lizard, though whether or not these efforts produced results remains unclear. [Source: Rachel Nuwer, smithsonian.com, January 24, 2013 ***]

“In 2009, 31-year-old Muhamad Anwar set out to gather sugar apples from an orchard on Komodo Island. A misstep that sent him falling from the tree proved to be his undoing. Two Komodo dragons were waiting below, and sprang on Anwar. His neighbors heard the commotion, and ran to his rescue minutes later. By the time they arrived, however, Anwar had already suffered fatal injuries, and was bleeding from bites to his hands, body, legs and neck, the Guardian reports. Anwar died shortly after the attack, in a clinic on Flores Island. Other accounts, however, contest some of these details. CNN writes that Anwar – a fisherman – was actually trespassing on the island, and was in an area forbidden for people to enter. This account also reports that Anwar bled to death on the way to the hospital, and was declared dead upon arrival. Even if CNN got this right and Anwar was guilty, however, death by dragon seems an overly steep punishment for eating a bit of forbidden fruit from the garden of Komodo.” ***

In 1974 a 78-year-old Swiss baron named Reding Von Beberegg disappeared during a bird-watching walk. His glasses and camera were all that was ever found. On top of an escapement on Komodo is cross dedicated to the baron. He is believed to be first Westerner to have ever been eaten by a Komodo dragon. The cross reads, "He Loved Nature Throughout His Life." No one really is sure how the baron died. Marcellini told Henry Allen of the Washington Post, "This guy was old, he was kind of sickly, and he was out hiking with nobody he knew real well. And he was not the most likable guy from what I understand. He decided to stop and rest while the others went on. When they came back, all they found was a shoe and part of his camera case. He could have died naturally. Human types could have gotten him. It didn't have to be a dragon." Even if he was eaten by a Komodo dragon that doesn’t necessarily he was killed by one. More likely he died or was seriously disabled by a heart attack or a stroke and was eaten by dragons after he died.

Careless Tourist Attacked by Komodo Dragon in 2017

injuries from the Komodo dragon zookeeper attack described below

In May 2017, a tourist was attacked by Komodo dragon in West Manggarai, which includes Komodo island. The BBC reported: Park rangers said the incident was "the first in the past five years". The 50-year-old victim, identified as Singaporean Lon Lee Alle, had reportedly ignored warnings not to get too close to take pictures. He was then "severely bitten" on his left leg."A Komodo doesn't like to be disturbed when eating. He must have been too close," Komodo National Park chief Sudiyono told the Jakarta Post. [Source: BBC, May 4, 2017]

Mr Sudiyono said the incident had taken place away from designated safe areas identified by park rangers. "The tourist had stayed with locals for three days to save costs," he said. "Never risk your safety by staying with locals and watching Komodo dragons without an official guide, for the sake of your budget."

The Jakarta Post reported: According to Sudiyono, Alle was initially watching several Komodos eating pigs and goats belonging to villagers. He approached the animals to take pictures, ignoring locals’ warning that he should not go too close. “He must have been too close.” Sudiyono told The Jakarta Post. Locals immediately helped pull Alle away from the crowd of Komodos and rushed him to the nearby medical center where he got first aid. Alle was then taken to the Siloam General Hospital using a military speed boat. [Source: Markus Makur, Jakarta Post, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara May 3, 2017]

Komodo Dragons Attacks Sharon Stone’s Husband in 2001

In June 2001, a seven-foot Komodo dragon bit and crushed the foot of Sharon Stone’s husband, at the time, Phil Bronstein, when he climbed into the lizard’s cage during a private tour at the Los Angeles Zoo and followed his wife’s advise and took of his shoes. Several tendons were severed and he required surgery to fix and rebuild his large toe According to Stone the zookeeper told Bronstein that the lizard was placid and that children petted it. “He started to move, this thing just lunged at him.” The lizard bit him and everyone there heard a crunching sound. On her husband she said, “I think he was unbelievably calm under pressure...He yelled, then he reached down and opened the jaws off his foot.” As Bronstein tried to escape through the feeding door, the Komodo dragon lunged at him again and clawed his back and thighs.”

Stone gave Bronstein the behind-the-scenes tour for a Father's Day present. Rachel Nuwer wrote on smithsonian.com, “Stone had arranged a private visit to the zoo’s dragon pen as a present for her husband, who, according to a Time Magazine interview with Stone, had always wanted to see a Komodo dragon up close. Stone described the incident: Phil didn’t know where we were going or why we were going there. It was a complete surprise. So we came around the corner and he was like, ‘Oh my god this is so fabulous, I’ve always wanted to see this.’ And the zookeeper said, ‘would you like to go in the cage? It’s very mild mannered. Everybody goes in there. Kids pet him. It’s fine.’ [Source:Rachel Nuwer, smithsonian.com, January 24, 2013 ***]

“Bronstein accepted the invitation and went into the dragon’s cage with the zoo keeper. The lizard began licking at Bronstein’s white shoes, which the keeper thought must remind the animal of it’s white rat meals. Following the keeper’s advice, Bronstein removed his shoes and socks to avoid tempting the lizard. Then, as he moved into a better position to take a photo with the animal, it lunged. So there was that hideous moment where the three of us… It’s such a break in reality, it’s so inconceivable that it’s happening, but there’s that moment of stillness where you just stare in disbelief. Then Phil screamed and we heard this crunching sound. ***

“Bronstein managed to pin the lizard’s head down with his other foot, but the animal began jerking back and forth in an attempt to maul and eat its prey. Children gathered around the cage’s glass wall, Stone recalled, taking in the spectacle. Bronstein managed to wrench the dragon’s jaw’s open and throw it from his foot, then dragged himself out of the cage as the lizard came at him from behind. The top half of Bronstein’s foot was gone, Stone said, and he was covered in scratches from the animal’s lunges at his back. Bronstein survived the incident and did not press charges, though Stone complained that the zoo allegedly continued to allow close-up encounters with dangerous animals following the incident.” ***

Surviving an Attack by a Komodo Dragon

In 2009, Maen, a guide at Komodo National Park, went to work at the staff office building as usual on Rinca Island. Like other buildings on the island, the staff unit sat on stilts, and it was not uncommon for hungry dragons to gather below for the occasional food scrap. Reporting from the park, website travel writer Michael Turtle wrote: Maen, quiet-spoken middle-aged Indonesian, “still has nightmares about that morning. About those few minutes in which he almost died. About the time he was attacked by a man-eating reptile and had to fight it off to save his life. “I don’t like to tell more my story because when I tell again, when I’m sitting alone, I remember,” he says, softly and humbly. “I would like to try to forget this story.” [Source: Michael Turtle -]
“It was 2009 and Maen had been working here on Rinca Island in Komodo National Park as a ranger for about a year when he went into the office that morning. The small wooden building in the main camp looked the same as usual and he went in and sat at the desk. It was then he looked down. “I saw the dragon under this table and my leg was here like this”, Maen tells me as he demonstrates how his leg was near the drawers under the desk. “I don’t use the shoes – just sandals. So after I saw the dragon I think ‘what do I do?’. But in my feeling, I have to pull my leg away.” At the time he wasn’t thinking about how the animal had ended up inside. As it later turned out, a cleaner had left the door open and the Komodo dragon had come in overnight looking for food. Clearly it had now found what it was looking for. -

Maen attempted to slowly withdraw his leg from the area where the dragon was but he moved too quickly, triggering a lunge from the motion-sensitive lizard. The dragon clenched its jaw shut on Maen’s leg. Maen kicked at the dragon’s neck, then grabbed its jaws with his hands and wrenched its mouth open, but injured his hand and arm in the process.“I think that if I not pull my leg, the dragon will bite and swallow”, Maen told Tuttle. “So I tried to pull my leg but the dragon follow and I look and see a tail moving over there. And I think this is a problem for me. And I pull my leg too fast and it got trapped in the table and then the dragon bite.” The dragon didn’t let go. With its mouth clenched shut, teeth ripping into his flesh, Maen had to think fast. He put his other foot onto the neck of the dragon, pinning it down slightly. Then using his hands, he grabbed the animal’s mouth and pulled it open. He managed to pull his leg free from its jaws – but one of his hands got bitten in the struggle. -

“During all of this he had managed to shout out for help. The camp the rangers live in is quite small but most of them were in the kitchen and couldn’t hear him. Only one person, in the cafeteria, was close enough. “I shouted and he came to help me but he didn’t like to come up because the dragon was still moving around”, Maen explains. “Then he saw the blood on the floor and he got everyone from the kitchen. All the people come running here, but other dragons follow along as well.” -

“Komodo dragons have a remarkable ability to smell blood – sometimes even kilometres away – and so they had been drawn by Maen’s injuries. While some rangers tried to control these new arrivals, two others ran into the office to rescue their injured friend and hold off the dragon inside. “So then they carry me down but there were lots of dragons down here”, he recalls. “There were about seven dragons, all bigger, waiting there. One other friend pushed away all the dragons with a stick. Then they took me to a jetty and go to Flores Island and get medicine in the hospital.” -

“Maen was taken to hospital at Flores Island, a short boat journey away, before being flown to Bali where he had six hours of emergency treatment and was given 55 stitches. He stayed in hospital there for seven days and then was flown back to Flores Island where he had six months of recovery. Now, just a couple of years later, he’s still working on Rinca Island in the middle of the Komodo National Park. “My boss said ‘what about you? do you want to work here or another place?’ and I say ‘no problem’” But it’s not really ‘no problem’. -

“Maen only works inside now so he doesn’t have to deal with the animals directly. He can’t write for too long, though, because his hand still gets so sore from the injuries. He has a respect for the dragon, telling me, “the dragon – he’s an animal but he’s thinking like people.” And he knows it is still out there somewhere, potentially circling the camp on any day. “The dragon, I can’t remember which one, he’s still alive”, Maen says,” but I think now he’ll be bigger. If he had a bigger neck then, I couldn’t have hold it open.” And that could have been the difference between life and death. Let’s hope they never come face to face again.” -

Severe Injuries from a Komodo Dragon Attack at a Zoo

A zookeeper was attacked by an adult Komodo dragon in the United States and suffered deep lacerations in her left arm and right leg, leading to tendon and neurovascular injuries. An article in Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics reported: A 43-year-old, left-hand-dominant female zookeeper was attacked by an adult Komodo dragon at the local zoo during feeding. She sustained traumatic lacerations to her left forearm and right lower leg. Hemostasis was adequately achieved with manual pressure and she was subsequently transported to the emergency department. The orthopedic surgery team was consulted secondary to suspected tendon and neurovascular involvement of her right lower extremity. On physical examination, her vital signs were within normal limits and the Glasgow Coma Scale score was 15. [Source: “Beware of the Dragon: A Case Report of a Komodo Dragon Attack” by Brandon S Boyd, Felipe Colon Jesse F Doty, Kristopher C Sanders,Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics, June 18, 2021 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ]

The patient’s left forearm and right lower extremity lacerations had some mild active venous bleeding but no apparent arterial bleeding requiring a tourniquet. The patient had an approximately 15-cm laceration of the volar left forearm and 10-cm laceration over the dorsal left forearm (Figure 2). The right lower extremity sustained multiple traumatic lacerations over the posteromedial and the anterolateral leg.

The patient was neurovascularly intact to the left upper extremity and there were no apparent injuries to the flexor or extensor tendons in the forearm or hand. On neurologic examination of the right lower extremity, she exhibited no motor function to the extensor hallucis longus, tibialis anterior, and extensor digitorum longus. She had no sensation to light touch in the deep peroneal nerve distribution but normal sensation in all other distributions. We were unable to palpate a dorsalis pedis pulse; however, she had a 2+ posterior tibial pulse and good perfusion to the foot distally. Shortly after arrival to the emergency department, she was given intravenous piperacillin-tazobactam and 1 dose of levofloxacin per infectious disease team.

National Geographic Photographer Close Call with a Komodo Dragon

“They don’t look at you, and then they look at you for a while and you don’t understand what they are doing,” National Geographic phtographer Stefano Unterthiner said. He said generally they are slow-moving and “sleepy” but can be unpredictably fast when triggered by sudden movements, vibrations, or the scent of blood — and they bite. “They really shocked me when they were feeding. Whenever they smell blood they are incredibly fast and aggressive. I photographed two dragons eating a goat … they completely gutted [it] in less than three minutes. The bones, the horns — they ate everything.” [Source: Alexa Keefe, National Geographic, February 12, 2014]

“Near the end of the assignment, once he’d gotten his shots and was feeling relaxed, he took a risk without even realizing it. Photographing a dragon from a tree, he decided he wanted to get it from another angle. “When I jumped down [from the tree], my wife saw him lunge toward me, and in the exact moment I took a step back, he bit at the air where I just was. Then I just moved a few steps away and the dragon stopped. It’s rare they pursue the ‘prey.’ Usually they hunt by quick and short attacks, mostly playing with surprise.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Compton’s Encyclopedia, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, The Economist, Global Viewpoint (Christian Science Monitor), Foreign Policy, Wikipedia, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.

Last updated February 2025