It was a sunny Sunday afternoon at Loh Buaya. Boats are tied at the pier, while visitors are walking down a wooden pier, entering the gate of Rinca island at Komodo National Park. From the pier, visitors can see a picturesque sight: mangrove forest surrounded by the crystal clear blue water.

At the right side of the entrance gate, a female komodo dragon is quietly waiting for a wild monkey hanging around in a nearby tree. “She is starving. She has been waiting for that monkey for a few hours now,” says one of the rangers. For safety reasons, every visitor to Rinca and the other Komodo islands must be led by welltrained rangers who can escort visitors safely among the home of the fierce komodo dragons, which have attacked people in the past.

Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizards, which grow up to three meters long and weigh in excess of 100 kilograms. While they can appear to be lazy and slow movers, they are capable of running up to 20 kilometers per hour, as well as climb trees, in pursuit of prey. Currently, the population of komodo in Komodo National Park is relatively stable with around 2,500 dragons in the park and about 2,000 on the larger Flores island.