"JAKARTA - Indonesia has decided it does not need to close the eastern island of Komodo next year as planned because its population of rare Komodo dragons is relatively stable and not under threat, the environment minister said on Monday.

East Nusa Tenggara Governor Viktor B. Laiskodat said in July that the island needed to be closed to the public to stop tourism from interfering in the dragon’s mating and hatching processes and to cut the risk of poaching of the reptiles’ prey, including deer, buffalo and wild boar.

The island would be reopened after about a year as a premium tourist destination, according to the plan."

Bernadette Christina Munthe and Tabita Diela report for Reuters September 30, 2019. [2]