Giant lizards kill unsuspecting fisherman (CNN)

[eppur_se_muova]

Komodo dragons kill Indonesian Fisherman

By Barry Neild
CNN

(CNN) -- An Indonesian fisherman has been killed by Komodo dragons after he was attacked while trespassing on a remote island in search of fruit, officials said Tuesday.

Muhamad Anwar, 32, bled to death on his way to hospital after being mauled by the reptiles at Loh Sriaya, in eastern Indonesia's Komodo National Park, the park's general manager Fransiskus Harum told CNN.

"The fisherman was inside the park when he went looking for sugar-apples. The area was forbidden for people to enter as there are a lot of wild dragons," Harum said.

Other fisherman took Anwar to a clinic on nearby Flores Island, east of Bali, but he was declared dead on arrival, he added.

Komodo dragons, the world's heaviest lizards, can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in length and have a toxic bite that they use to kill prey such as buffalo, returning to feast when the animal succumbs to the poison.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/03/24/komodo.dragon/index.html





"Unsuspecting" in CNN's link title? A national park, staffed by rangers, off limits to people, forbidden to enter? How do you grow up in the vicinity of Komodo Island and not know about Komodo dragons? :shrug: CNN editors need to slap someone's knuckles with a ruler. (Note that the article itself does not attribute any state of mind to the victim.)

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I remember when Phil Bronstein, then husband of Sharon Stone, had to be rushed

to the hospital because a Komodo Dragon at a city zoo bit his toe. (As a birthday gift, she arranged for a private viewing of the habitat and he was required to remove his shoes.) It was a serious injury.

[soothsayer]

2. Woah, death by dragon! Of course we could say alligator attacks are

giant lizards and it would sound cooler

[kestrel91316]

3. I knew they were dangerous, but had no idea about the poisonous bite.

[tularetom]

6. I didn't know that either

I had heard their saliva was so filthy and bacteria laden that it caused massive and catastrophic infection in their victims.

Not technically "toxic" but the same end result I guess.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. Not technically venomous - but definitely toxic. nt

[napoleon_in_rags]

4. That looked great on the Latest page:

[eppur_se_muova]

5. O! M! G! Newt Gingrich is becoming a Catholic ?!?

Cognitive dissonance overload, anybody?

He's gonna look real good arguing with the Pope about the sanctity of marriage.

[napoleon_in_rags]

9. hehehe. nt

[Sal Minella]

10. I wonder which of his wives the church will consider him really married to?

[flvegan]

7. This is why all unsuspecting fishermen should be armed.

[Crunchy Frog]

11. That would make a good title for a horror movie. Guy sounds like Darwin award material.

[JohnWxy]

12. NOw I know where we should give Phil Gramm a vacation trip to!