Baby Komodo dragon found on way to Bali, smuggled in passenger’s sock

The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard. Photo / Guillaume Marque, Unsplash

A dragon in a sock sounds like the plot of a Harry Potter novel, but in Indonesia it is a serious problem.

Customs and border officials at Labuan Bajo Harbour were shocked to discover a young Komodo dragon being smuggled on to a ferry to Bali in a passenger’s underwear.

The rare reptile was intercepted on October 30 and is one of five to have been found by Indonesian authorities in the past six months, smuggled out of the Komodo National Park reserve for the black market.

Local media say that it is not the first time they have found a dragon chick being spirited out of the parks. In 2019 visitors were temporarily banned over concerns of ‘dragon thieves’.

Commissioner Budi Guna Putra, deputy chief of police for West Manggarai told a press conference that they were used to battling smugglers in the region, but normally stolen dragons were intercepted on fishing vessels.

“From Komodo National Park they use sea transportation in the form of small Ketintang boats,” Commissioner Budi was quoted in Detik Bali.

Thanks to the dragons, the islands of Rinca and Komodo have become top tourism destinations for Indonesia. Photo / 123rf

The baby dragon found in the passenger’s sock, rolled up in luggage was thought to be a juvenile aged around 4.

Sadly, it was reported to have died of asphyxiation, not long after being seized by the port.

The man transporting the endangered animal, identified only by the initials HR, was one of six people arrested in connection to the smuggling operation.

The town of Labuan Bajo, on Flores Island, is the jumping off point for Rinca and Komodo islands, which are home to the giant reptiles. The large monitor lizards grow up to 3m-long and up to 100kg.

The area is the focus of a tourism boom, with international tourists visiting from all over the world for a chance to see the 3000 or so Komodo dragons in the park. Last year tourism and park workers staged a large-scale strike over new developments in the park and a hike in tourist taxes for entering it.

In the space of a month the entry fee shot up 18 times to 3.75 million rupiah (around $400) in August 2022.

The world heritage site drew around 200,000 visitors pre-pandemic.

It is rare for live dragons to be smuggled. Most on the animal black market are killed to be transported as parts for traditional medicine, in formaldehyde jars.