Indonesia is set to loan two endangered Komodo dragons to Japan's Shizuoka prefecture, with the aim of establishing a breeding programme for the rare reptiles. In exchange, Japan will send red pandas and giraffes to the Southeast Asian nation, an official confirmed on Monday.
The animal exchange, according to Indonesia's Forestry Ministry, is intended to boost contributions from both parties towards wildlife protection and conservation, as well as raising public awareness of biodiversity. The initiative specifically targets the breeding of Komodo dragons, which are listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Ahmad Munawir, a conservation official at the ministry, told Reuters that a male and a female Komodo dragon would be dispatched to a zoo in Shizuoka. In return, the prefecture will provide Indonesia with several animals, including red pandas and giraffes. The agreement was formalised last week, preceding a visit to Japan by President Prabowo Subianto, who is scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi later this week.
Government data indicates that Indonesia currently hosts more than 3,000 Komodo dragons. The reptiles are the largest lizards in the world, growing up to around 3 metres (10 feet) long. They have a yellow forked tongue and a venomous bite. Japan's TV Shizuoka has reported the two dragons would arrive as early as June for the breeding programme. Ahmad said the dragons would be sent after a business-to-business agreement was signed by the zoos in Indonesia and Japan.
In 2021, the Komodo dragon was moved from the vulnerable list to the endangered species list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The first peer-reviewed paper on how global warming would affect the giant lizards concluded last year that urgent conservation actions are required to avoid risk of extinction. While the subpopulation in Komodo National Park is currently stable and well protected, their habitat on the Indonesian island of Flores is believed to have shrunk by more than 40 per cent between 1970 and 2000, the IUCN has warned.
