Komodo, Indonesia
A Komodo dragon killed an 8–year–old boy this week, the first such fatal attack in more than 30 years. The lizard attacked the boy when he left the trail of a wildlife preserve to relieve himself in a bush. “The Komodo bit him on his waist and tossed him viciously from side to side,” said park spokesman Heru Rudiharto. The boy’s uncle pelted the animal with rocks until it let go, but by then the child was already bleeding to death. Endangered Komodos are the world’s largest living lizards. They can measure longer than 10 feet and typically weigh about 200 pounds. Their mouths contain toxic bacteria that cause even minor bites to become infected.
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