By JASON SOM KAUT
INVESTIGATORS from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) may be flown from Port Moresby to Lae to verify sightings of a komodo dragon.
DEC Deputy Secretary Dr Gae Gowae said this yesterday but could not elaborate.
The dragon – the worlds largest monitor lizard – was on the loose and causing fear among Butibam villagers.
Police in Lae yesterday carried out awareness in and around areas surrounding Butibam village.
Villagers at neighbouring Sipaia (Wagang) were warned to be alert when going to gardens or rivers.
The message was spun into tall tales including that of a man being eaten by the dragon. The misinterpretation caused mass panic among the public from Bumbu settlement to Sipaia.
So far, about four sightings have been made at Butibam, village court magistrate Jonathan Benjamin said.
Dr Gowae said that DEC will have to cross-check its statistics on the species before a proper statement can be issued.
If sent, the DEC team would do a physical inspection, visit scenes of sightings, take pictures and identify those responsible for bringing in the dragon before deciding a course of action.
The dragon is an endangered species found at Komodo Island in
Indonesia. There are only about 5,000 left.
Charges for bringing the reptile in illegally could mean deportation of the expatriate importer.
Endorsement must be sought from appropriate authorities, in this case the DEC and the National Agriculture Quarantine Investigation Authority (NAQIA) who collaborate to issue permits for import of both live animals and plants.