Dragon attacks divers

Dragon attacks divers

news.yahoo.com

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Scuba divers swept away in strong currents survived 12 hours in shark-infested waters before scrambling onto a remote Indonesian island where they faced yet another threat: a Komodo dragon.

(visit the link for the full news article)

That's crazy. You can't make stuff like that up. Stretch it out a bit maybe and you could spin this into an awesome fiction. Maybe I'll use this as isnspiration for the writing contest.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Just make the Komodo dragon a giant mutant. Maybe give it poisonous drool...oh right they already have that.

Copyright the idea quick...I'm sure Scifi channel will buy it! Have you seen some of their Scifi Originals?

reply to post by mysterychicken


As they say though, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Imagine if this really happened to you. First your dragged by the current through shark infested waters for twelve hours, only to be stranded on the last sand nugget out there like you're gonna go all Tom Hanks, and then, oh yes, ta da! Komodo dragon attack!

And those things WILL eat people.

I heard about this on one of the news networks, I think it was MSNBC or CNBC...but I'm glad to hear they survived, they truly have an amazing story to tell.

Oh I know...
That has to be a case of "Murphey's Law" to the nth degree

Those suckers are scary...even if they don't kill you right away if they bite you and you can't get medical attention you're as good as dead anyway.

Actually, I read several different articles about this event and they all seem to be grasping to present this image of an attack having been made by a Komodo, yet if you read them closely, it's clear that the divers were never actually attacked.

The lizard came closer to investigate them, and they threw rocks to scare it away. That hardly constitutes an attack, yet it is so very common of the media to demonize a critter in their effort to sensationalize a story into something more than the actual event.

I realize that a Komodo can kill a person (and has) but this story kind of pissed me off. Komodo's are most definitely something to be wary of but they are not the cold blooded maneaters most people believe them to be. I would like to see the press article written to accompany the following clip...

"Young girl narrowly escapes with her life after being mauled and nearly eaten by an enraged and bloodthirsty dragon. Evacuation plans are being readied for all persons in the area."



The greater story here is that of the harrowing time these people spent at sea, but that is overshadowed by a great yarn about a nonexistant attack by a prehistoric monster...

reply to post by SystemiK


The point you make about the media demonizing to sensationalize is really true. I have come to think of it as somewhat a control mechanism over the populations.

Some targets over the last several years has been breeds of dogs. People that are "different", etc..

We don't trust our neighbours, and we want to ban housepets. They can swey the populations to cheer them on wildly while pulling off things like WACO.

Well, about the article at hand. I don't see anything newsworthy. No offense to these people, or the "attack". Komodos are really an awesome creature though.



EDIT: Grammar, to make sense..



[edit on 9-6-2008 by LostNemesis]

It's still a fun idea for a Scifi original.

I do know what you mean. So many people are terrified of alligators too. I know on the UF campus they sun themselves on the sidewalk and you just walk around them (not too close though).

[edit on 9-6-2008 by mysterychicken]

Speaking of sensationalizing. Again another news submission not following the rules of submitting it.

Here is the actual article title.

"Stranded divers chase off Komodo dragon on island"

One wonders why the photographer did not 'warn' the little girl, 'hey, hun, there's a big ol' Komodo dragon over there'!
What did he do say 'hey kid would you grab my flipflops over there?!'
That wasn't right on many levels.

Originally posted by jpm1602
What did he do say 'hey kid would you grab my flipflops over there?!'
That wasn't right on many levels.

This video had me laughing out loud, at the same thought.

But really, it's along the same lines as the photographer on Discovery Channel who records the footage of a lion chasing the zebra to kill and eat it. Ya don't interfere with nature. Keep rollin'.

reply to post by jpm1602


The clip reinforces my point (as well as mysterychicken's) that people who live around such creatures are more well informed about their actual behavior. Obviously, the girl in the clip is not overly concerned about the Komodo. If she had never been around them, you would definitely not expect her to be so complacent about it's presence. Then again, it's a reminder that one should never become too complacent.

Personally, I would be TERRIFIED to be within 20 yards of an alligator in the wild, but my perception has been greatly influenced by the media and the movies I have seen. When in reality, people who are more accustomed to them are not likely to experience the same amount of fear.

I was lucky enough to have shared 17 years of my life with a 70% hybrid wolf. She was so amazingly gentle and loving of everyone she came into contact with. Yet my studies of wolves over the years brought me to the realization of how folklore, media and misunderstanding have demonized the wolf in our culture. If I were ever to encounter a wolf in the wild, the last thing on my mind would be fear.

This is one of my "hot button" topics. The media in general has caused so much fear and misunderstanding of so many species, for what, to sell a few more newspapers? To get a few more website hits? To sell a few more box office reciepts?

Thank god for so many fine nature documentaries which counter general hype with actual fact.

Wow... Didnt really mean to get off onto such a tangent here....sorry JitB.

Must be a slow day for news. I mean come on, they make it out like the dragon actually attacked them.

Wolves are one of most incredible pack animals. Play, hunt, sleep, care for each other. Are notoriously protective of young. When your in the clan, your hybrid, your in. Just let someone try to take a punch at you with that dog in the same room though....

Still, I wouldn't want to be a lone gunless hiker in February in the mountains and have a pack come up on me on a slow hunt week. Respect is mandatory. My next life I want to be a wolf. The alpha hopefully. Harem, food brought to me.
Oh, gators can run up to 30mph bursts. They just found some former Fl trail runner near a canal. They found a shoe. and some shreds of clothes.

[edit on 6/9/2008 by jpm1602]

These people are scuba divers! They are supposed to have training dealing with god's creatures.
they risk their lives underwater with more dangerous creatures; Sharks, stingrays, snakes, whales, etc.

And they fear some komodo dragon? basically a non moving reptile sitting on a rock? I mean come on..like I said, it must be a really, really slow news day.

With all due respect Jedi. Was it three/four years ago? Some hollywood guy was at a private opening for a new part of a zoo. He was wearing sandals. A trainer brought out a komodo. And he looked at mr millionares big toe like a tbone steak. Once they got it off him, he nearly needed amputation and months of antibiotics from its NASTY venom. Those rock critters can move quicker than you think. Especially when hungry.

true. I haven't seen one in a while. I used to go to the san diego zoo here and they had these lizards that never moved. didn't think they were too dangerous. Still, if it was hungry then it could have acted dangerously..it would be interesting to watch a video.

reply to post by jpm1602
The guy who was attacked at the Zoo was the ex husband of Sharon Stone and the Editor of the San Francisco Newspaper, Phil Bronstein. These dragons are quite quick and have a very septic mouth. A terrible infection if one buts a nibble on you.

reply to post by jedimiller


I agree it must have been a slow news day and I agree the OP should have used better judgement in thread titles, but having been to Komodo myself, these dragons are anything but slow and benign.

Their saliva has so much bacteria that their victims can actually die of infection rather than the bite.

When I was there there were dozens feeding on dead goats and they can run pretty fast. Look it up on wiki, I'm to lazy.