Two Komodo dragons will be loaned to Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture, where it is hoped the endangered reptiles will be able to breed, and will receive some red pandas and giraffes in return.
The Forestry Ministry said the animal swaps would increase “contributions from both parties towards wildlife protection and conservation, as well as raising public awareness of biodiversity,” adding that the programme was intended to breed the Komodo dragons, which the IUCN Red List classifies as endangered.
Ahmad Munawir, a conservation official at the ministry, said a male and a female will be sent to a zoo in Shizuoka. In return, the prefecture will send several animals to Indonesia, including red pandas and giraffes.
The agreement was signed last week, ahead of a visit to Japan by President Prabowo Subianto, who met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday.
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said the dragons should never be treated as “diplomatic bargaining chips”.
“Shipping these highly intelligent animals overseas for captive breeding only reinforces the dangerous myth that conservation can happen behind zoo walls, while any offspring born there would be condemned to a lifetime of confinement,” Peta Asia president Jason Baker said.
Indonesia is home to over 3,000 Komodo dragons. The reptiles are the largest lizards in the world, growing up to around 3m long. They have a yellow forked tongue and a venomous bite. — Reuters
