Why tourists have been banned from Komodo dragon island

Problems include smugglers stealing the lizards to sell on Facebook

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An estimated 5,000 Komodo dragons remain in the wild

An Indonesian island that is home to the Komodo dragon is closing its doors to tourists from next January in a bid to prevent illegal smuggling.

Each year thousands of visitors flock to Komodo Island, in East Nusa Tenggara province, to see the giant lizards, but now the authorities say they will shut off access temporarily as part of a conservation effort. It is unclear how long the closure will last but experts believe the project, which will include planting native vegetation to bolster the specie’s food supply, could take up to a year.

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