1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,040 can only be found in a tiny corner of Indonesia. 2 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,400 Tourists flock to see them but authorities want to return 3 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:03,960 Komodo Island to the dragons. 4 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,920 They have survived here for hundreds of thousands of years. 5 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,760 Komodo dragons, with a venomous bite, live here on just a handful 6 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:17,080 of small islands in Indonesia. 7 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,880 Arriving at Komodo Island, home of the world's largest lizards, 8 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:28,240 the only place you will find these dragons anywhere in the world. 9 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,520 Incredible, almost prehistoric scenes here. 10 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:35,600 The villagers that live amongst the Dragons believe 11 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,200 they are spiritually and physically related to them. 12 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:54,920 But this human-dragon relationship may all be about to change. 13 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,280 An increasing amount of visitors now flock here to see 14 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,760 this iconic species. 15 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:05,800 Welcome. 16 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,040 And this man, the powerful governor of the region, 17 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:13,600 wants to close Komodo Island to mass tourism, and expel the villagers, 18 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:19,120 making the island a home only for the Dragons. 19 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:39,440 There is just one village here on Komodo Island, 20 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,560 home to around 2000 people. 21 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:46,560 The community is a mixture of different ethnic groups from 22 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,160 across the Indonesian archipelago. 23 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,200 They speak their own language, Komodo, and they have a centuries 24 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,280 old history with the dragons. 25 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,160 Like most Indonesians, this man is a devout Muslim, who has 26 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,600 made the pilgrimage to Mecca. 27 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:07,200 The connection with Komodos here is not a matter of faith, 28 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,320 he insists, but history. 29 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:18,840 The villagers tell the story of the Princess who lived on Komodo, 30 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,000 and who people call Dragon Princess, or Putri Naga. 31 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,440 She married a man named Nago and bore him twins. 32 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:28,680 One was a baby boy, and the other, a baby dragon. 33 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:29,480 Komodo dragons reach ten feet in length and can weigh upwards of 300 34 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:34,160 pounds. They have sharp teeth and a poisonous venom, and a powerful tale 35 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:37,520 to bring down any prey. 36 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,560 But the community here says they haven't lived in fear. 37 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:53,760 Whilst still being very rare, there are unprovoked attacks 38 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,560 by the Komodo dragons. 39 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:57,960 There are no official records, but the national park authorities 40 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,720 say there have been 15 attacks in the last ten years... 41 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:10,000 Just one that resulted in the death of a human. 42 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:13,920 This farmer shows me where he was sleeping 43 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,960 in what used to be his house, here amongst his fruit trees, 44 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:19,720 when he was attacked. 45 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,400 Villagers who heard him screaming put him on a boat 46 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:47,640 and rushed him to hospital. 47 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,920 He shows me his scars from the bite marks, 15 in total. 48 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:12,040 But he has moved his house closer to the others along the shore. 49 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:18,920 The Komodo Island community insists that before their village became 50 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:21,760 part of the National Park in 1980, their relationship with the dragons 51 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:27,960 was much friendlier. 52 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:29,880 Europeans who arrived in the 1900s took images 53 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:32,760 of the Komodo village, then, a row of huts in the bay, 54 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,200 and noted their coexistence with the dragons. 55 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,120 Australian academics released a report last year that found 56 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,280 the dragons do better, they are bigger and heavier, 57 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:25,840 when living around humans, because of access to food scraps. 58 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:31,360 But Komodo dragons are now listed as vulnerable to extinction, 59 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:37,440 and hunting of the dragons' prey is outlawed in this place 60 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:42,040 that is now a World Heritage area. 61 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,520 Wow, most of Komodo National Park is actually ocean, 70% of it, 62 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,200 and then, there are five main islands like this one, 63 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:56,680 that are dotted amongst the sea. 64 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,280 That makes it quite a hard National Park for the authorities 65 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:01,040 to monitor what is going on here. 66 00:07:02,280 --> 00:07:06,440 It's rangers like Stephen's job to protect the park. 67 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,920 The villagers insist they had stopped hunting, and they don't feed 68 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:53,560 the Komodos anymore. 69 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,920 Now, it's the dragons that are providing this community. 70 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,840 It's 7am, and as the park opens, the tourists begin to arrive. 71 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:07,960 Today, a cruise ship carrying more than 3000 people 72 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:11,240 has docked in the bay. 73 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:13,080 The visitors begin to pull ashore. 74 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,760 Folks, we have some nice cold water here, if you like. 75 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:21,440 Get yourself a little hydrated before the walk. 76 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:22,880 Wow, it's already really busy here. 77 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:23,960 Yes. 78 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,560 Abdul is one of the many local guides from the Komodo 79 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:31,720 community, waiting for them. 80 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,160 Like looking for the dragon, they say the Komodo dragon 81 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:35,080 is like the dinosaurs, but Komodo dragons are small, 82 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:46,920 How do you feel, seeing all of these people coming 83 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:48,200 here and this increased tourism? 84 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:51,440 I mean, this is where you get your livelihood from, isn't it? 85 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,000 The dragons certainly have more visitors than they did 86 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:11,800 when they first met European explorers in the early 20th century. 87 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:15,240 There's a steady stream of tour groups coming in here, 88 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:18,680 each given around five minutes to take photos, and then 89 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:21,360 they are told to move on to make way for the next one. 90 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:29,160 In 2010, just under 50,000 people visited the Komodo National Park. 91 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,400 That jumped to nearly 300,000 last year. 92 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:37,880 Keep looking right over there, within the trees. 93 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,560 Herman has come all the way from Turkey to see them. 94 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:46,520 It's amazing. 95 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:49,040 How do you feel, seeing the Komodo dragons? 96 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,200 I can't describe to you, I was so excited. 97 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:55,160 My husband told me there was a dragon like this 98 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:57,320 and I didn't believe him. 99 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:00,160 But then we got the tickets, we were like, it is true. 100 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:01,240 It's so beautiful. 101 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:06,920 But scary, too. 102 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,480 But safe, because they give you the tour. 103 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,320 And he told me not to wear red, they will attack you. 104 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:18,680 It's not true, is it? 105 00:10:18,680 --> 00:10:21,280 So far, I'm OK, but I'm staying close to the rangers. 106 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:23,000 Yes, that's what you have to do! 107 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:26,080 Do you think there are too many tourists here or it is OK? 108 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:27,120 No, it's not really. 109 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:30,680 Actually, more people should come here. 110 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:36,200 Indonesia does have some of Southeast Asia's most 111 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:40,920 beautiful and largely undiscovered tourist destinations. 112 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,840 It's something the central government wants to change. 113 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,280 Komodo National Park, just over one hour east by plane 114 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,840 from the tourist hub of Bali, is one of the area is the central 115 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:55,840 government is now heavily promoting. 116 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,200 Labuan Bajo, the gateway to the park, is a city 117 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:03,120 undergoing significant change. 118 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:07,520 This used to be a very sleepy fishing village 119 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:09,960 when I visited over ten years ago. 120 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,080 Now, it's a hive of building activity. 121 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:17,240 This is advertised as being a first-class marina, 122 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:21,000 many big brand names are already buying up space here. 123 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,760 The number of tourists visiting has doubled in the last five years, 124 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:30,240 the numbers are still relatively low, compared neighbouring Bali, 125 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:32,840 but there is a real atmosphere here of this place being 126 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:34,680 on the edge of a tourism boom. 127 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:40,960 This woman runs a travel company that offers on-board holidays here, 128 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:42,600 that involve diving, island hopping, as well 129 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,280 as seeing the dragons. 130 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:49,360 So a lot of changes taking place here, yes? 131 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:05,400 So what is the feeling amongst people here? 132 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:06,760 Is there excitement? 133 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:09,400 Or are people concerned at the pace of change? 134 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:36,440 Much-needed jobs in what was one of the poorest regions in Indonesia, 135 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,120 but with increased interest and money now coming in, 136 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:42,440 a tussle for control of the park has now broken out between the central 137 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:47,080 and local government - the battle for Dragon Land. 138 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:56,520 Welcome. 139 00:12:56,520 --> 00:13:01,800 This man, the local governor, has a dramatic vision for Komodo Island. 140 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:07,080 He is demanding the island be closed to all visitors for a year in 2020, 141 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:09,440 and then become an exclusive place for just a handful 142 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:14,040 of wealthy people. 143 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:34,120 So this will involve moving a whole community from the Island of Komodo. 144 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:36,560 There will surely be resistance to that? 145 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:32,960 After that, it would cost a lot more than the few dollars you pay 146 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:34,440 now to enter the park. 147 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:40,320 The governor is proposing a $1000 entrance fee for the visitors. 148 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:43,120 He has even floated the idea of genetically modifying the dragons 149 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:44,960 to make them bigger, and talked about moving 150 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:50,360 all the dragons onto Komodo Island. 151 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,360 But the vast majority of tourists visit just two main areas that make 152 00:14:55,360 --> 00:15:00,280 up around 4% of the land area of the whole park. 153 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,160 Researchers monitoring the Komodo population since 2002 say 154 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:06,800 there is no need for alarm. 155 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,520 The population is stable and so, too, their primary prey. 156 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:16,480 1000 kilometres away in Jakarta, this man from the Ministry 157 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,360 of Environment does not agree with the governor. 158 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,360 The final decision over the future of the park does lie here, 159 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:46,320 in the Ministry of Environment in the capital. 160 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,920 Under pressure from the governor, they are now doing a review 161 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,560 of the park's management. 162 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:12,120 In the heat of this debate over the future of the park, 163 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:14,400 the Indonesian Police broke up the first known Komodo 164 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:16,920 smuggling ring. 165 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:20,520 A group of local men are now on trial, accused of smuggling 45 166 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:22,400 Komodos out of the country, before they were 167 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:27,720 caught in late March. 168 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:29,880 We've been given access to meet the baby Komodos 169 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:31,680 the authorities managed to rescue. 170 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:34,320 So, we're going inside, this is a transit area for animals 171 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:38,520 that have been trafficked. 172 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,240 Authorities have caught them on the process of being trafficked 173 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:44,920 out of Indonesia, so this is where they are being kept. 174 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,720 They hope to release them to the wild, so they are trying 175 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:50,200 to keep this area as clean and uninfected by humans, 176 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,080 like us, as possible. 177 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,400 This is the first time that you have had Komodos? 178 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:31,680 So, it is a new trend, perhaps? 179 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,040 Why would anyone, it is quite dangerous, I would imagine, 180 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,320 to have a Komodo as a pet? 181 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:48,160 See? 182 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,600 This is the dangerous one, I think. 183 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,600 It is wanting to get out of the cage, isn't it? 184 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:03,560 Yeah. 185 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:04,720 Well, yeah, it is better for us to have them in the wild, I think. 186 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:14,120 Indonesia is struggling to combat the trade in its unique wildlife. 187 00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:16,760 Here in this centre, there are various protected species 188 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,400 that were destined to be sold on the local and international 189 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:25,160 market, as rare pets or for medicine. 190 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:27,320 Activists say the government here is not doing enough, 191 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:31,800 and powerful political figures have been linked to the trade. 192 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,160 The Komodo regional governor said he takes over, no one 193 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:39,280 would dare touch the dragons. 194 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:58,600 The DNA tests show the smuggled baby Komodos were from the island 195 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:02,040 of Flores, not from Komodo itself. 196 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,800 An environmentalist argued closing the island of Komodo will do little 197 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:12,000 to protect the more vulnerable populations outside 198 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:13,840 of the National Park. 199 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:16,920 70% of the community on Komodo and the nearby Rinca Island now 200 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:19,800 survive off the tourist trade. 201 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:24,680 The idea of less people coming is a disaster to many. 202 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,000 This local guide, Abdul, says the governor's 203 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:04,880 plans do not make sense. 204 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:06,120 It is an amazing view! 205 00:20:06,120 --> 00:20:10,040 Yeah, welcome to paradise. 206 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:27,680 Are you concerned that if it is closed in that year, 207 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,600 there isn't that income coming in, that the community may return 208 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,480 to practices that do destroy the environment? 209 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:36,840 Yeah. 210 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:59,080 Some of the bigger tour operators agree controls 211 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,440 need to be put in place, if the tourism boom 212 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,760 is to be sustainable. 213 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:23,920 And at the moment, do you think it is being strict, 214 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:26,240 or is it a bit relaxed? 215 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:45,320 Tissa believes the industry will survive if Komodo Island 216 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:48,200 is closed for a year, because people will still come 217 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:50,800 to dive, snorkel and visit the beaches and see the dragons 218 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,960 on other islands. 219 00:21:56,400 --> 00:22:00,400 But for the villagers, there is much more at stake in this battle. 220 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,480 They are confused and worried about their future. 221 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,560 Her father says the government tried to move them before, 222 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:31,120 when the park was created. 223 00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:33,280 He claims the dragons tried to come with them. 224 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:02,400 This is a battle for control and a debate over what sustainable 225 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:07,360 tourism should look like in this unique landscape... 226 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,920 ..and who should benefit from it.