The Government of Indonesia decided to close one of its islands in 2020. Tourists traveling to Indonesia will be banned from visiting the famous Komodo Island due to multiple reports of theft and trafficking of Komodo dragons. The Komodo National Park is one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature since 2007, and since then thousands of tourists travelled every year to meet the famous dragons.
The Komodo Island is located on the smaller islands of the Sonda and belongs to the Pacific Ring of Fire. However, the other two islands that make up the Komodo National Park, which also houses the dragons, will remain open.
The Komodo dragon is a protected species because the World Wildlife Foundations (WWF) estimates that there are only about 6.000 left in the wild and they are all in the Komodo National Park.
Last week was announced the temporary closure of the island, and this will allow the authorities of the smaller islands of the Sonda to work in order to increase the population of dragons and preserve their habitat. The decision was made after 9 men were arrested on suspicion of selling 50 Komodo dragons for $35.000 each, according to the local police.