Komodo dragon bites tourist in Indonesia after being disturbed while eating

A Komodo dragon in Indonesia's West, East Nusa Tenggara province, attacked a tourist on Wednesday (3 May) after he got too close to the venomous lizard for pictures.

The 50-year-old Singaporean man, Lon Lee Alle, was severely injured by a bite by the animal on his left leg. He was soon rushed to a nearby medical centre for treatment by military speed boat, the Jakarta Post reported.

Komodo National Park's head, Sudiyono, said the incident was "the first in the past five years".

He added that Alle was in the region to visit the Komodo National Park and to save expenditure on the trip he was staying with the locals at the place away from designated safe areas marked by park rangers.

Initially, the Singaporean was watching Komodos while they were having their lunch, however, later he got close to them for pictures, ignoring villagers' warning.

"He must have been too close. A Komodo doesn't like to be disturbed when eating," Sudiyono said.

"The incident took place away from the area set by us where tourists are allowed to observe Komodos. I also appeal to all tourists to take guides with you when wandering around to see Komodo dragons.

"Never risk your safety by staying with locals and watching Komodos without an official guide only for the sake of your budget," the park head added.

Komodo dragons are the world's largest lizards and have a deadly amount of venom. Instead of using a strong bite force on its prey, the deadly animal keep a vice-like grip on them, so that the venom can seep into the large wounds that they make with their teeth, a report by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said.