Komodo dragon launches attack

A KOMODO dragon climbed a ladder into a park ranger's hut and lunged at him, lacerating his hand and foot.

The terrified victim was sitting at his desk when the beast crept inside.

Screaming for help, he leapt on top of his desk clutching the neck of the still-snapping reptile on Sunday.

Daniel Ngongo, a Komodo National Park official, said the man was attacked on Rinca, Indonesia, one of three islands where the world's largest lizard can be found in the wild.

The victim received severe injuries but was said to be doing well.

Poisoning

Nurse Adi Palguna, said: "He seems to be recovering.

"He's been on antibiotics for the last three days, and there's no sign of toxin poisoning."

The 46-year-old victim, Main, released his grip on the scaly creature and fled out the window as colleagues raced to his aid and used wooden sticks to force the dragon outside.

Main, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, received more than 30 stitches, but appeared to be recovering.

"I'm lucky I survived," Main said from his hospital bed on nearby Bali island.

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"Nothing like this has ever happened to me ... in 25 years on the job. I've never been attacked."

Attacks on humans by Komodo dragons are rare.

In 2007, they attacked and killed an eight-year-old boy on Komodo island, in the first recorded deadly attack in 33 years.

The beasts can grow up to 10ft long and weigh as much as 150lbs. They have shark-like serrated teeth and a bite can be deadly.

The reptile's saliva contains roughly 50 different known bacteria strains.

The reptiles, believed to number less than 4,000, can only be found in the wild on the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca.