Gadling

I've always had a strange desire to be in a Jurassic Park film. The last time I was at Universal Studios, I remember seeing the dinosaurs in an utter state of awe as I imagined how life would have been if these creatures still existed.

Dragons on the other hand, I've only read about in story books and would never have imagined that there are 2,500 of them walking freely on Indonesia's Komodo Island. Yes my friends, there are humongous carnivorous lizards -- some that are 10-feet long -- walking at their own liberty, on our planet!

17,000 people visited Komodo National Park last year, a number not too high perhaps only because of the lack of tourist facilities on the island. (I imagine if you are visiting an island with dragons, the more tourist facilities around, the higher your likelihood of visiting, no?). As for me, my explorer spirit doesn't include being dragon-fearless: I'd jump out of my skin and run for my life if I ever encountered one.

Also, according to National Wildlife Magazine, the thick saliva of the dragon is known to kill the animals it bites and some researchers are risking their lives to find out what is in the saliva that kills other animals, and not the beast itself. They think that perhaps it's saliva has strong immunity properties or some natural antibodies in it's blood that could be harnessed for human health.

The wonders of nature often leave me speechless.

Filed under: Asia, Indonesia, Ecotourism