Dragons and Minnows

About 4 years ago I read an article in National Geographic about Komodo Dragons. The article stated that the dragons, a large carnivorous lizard, grew to approximately 5- 7 feet in length and weighed 150-200 pounds. The dragons were very agressive.

The article caught my attention because in 1968, I had read an article in Life Magazine about the Komodo dragon, and prepared a report for school about the subject. The article in Life said that Komodo dragons could be over 15 feet in length and weigh 1500 pounds or more. It also described larger ones as being slow moving and generally nonagressive unless hungry. At that time there were only a very few large specimens. Komodo dragons are found only on a few islands in Indonesia, of which is the largest is the Island of Komodo, about 20 miles by 20 miles in size. The Island was home to several hundred species of birds, small mammals, insects and other reptiles found only on that particular island.

Information about Komodo dragons found on the internet says that the largest ones known are about 10 feet long and weigh about 300 pounds. It also says that local reports describe much larger specimens a few years ago. I did not learn the date of this information, but I suspect it was collected between the other reports.

Because of the small number of dragons, an effort to protect them was begun. After more than twenty years of protection, their number has grown tremendously and today there are many thousand on the island. In fact, the program to protect them now imports thousands of cows to be slaughtered annually to feed the dragons. Their primary food found on the island is other dragons.

Today, according to National Geographic, there are no other species of wildlife left on the island. many of the species are now extinct. Because there is no longer sufficient natural food, the dragons are almost totally dependent on the program for their food. The only other source of food for them is to eat each other. As a result they have become very agressive, and have eaten at least 2 researchers. The lack of food prevents attaining normal mature growth.

Serious misjudgements by those concerned about protecting the dragons has caused the extinction of many species of other animals. It has also eliminated the ability of the island to support the population of dragons, actually increasing their likelihood of beicoming extinct.

In the rivers of Colorado and New Mexico there is a small fish known as the silvery minnow. it is currently a protected species. In the effort to save them, ecologists have repeatedly sued to force the Corp of Engineers to increase waterflows from existing dams. Despite the efforts, populations continue to decline.

Prior to the construction of the dams, the rivers frequently went completely dry during the summer, yet the silvery minnow managed to survive for thousands of years, without protection. Interestingly, biologists tell us that the silvery minnow does not reproduce except when water levels are low, and that high water tends to prevent survival of the young. Apparently, the continuing decline in population is the result of actions taken in efforts to protect them.

It has been reported that 90% of all environmental lawsuits world wide are filed by a single individual in Scottsdale Arizona. Obviously, he can not understand every situation worldwide. People who are genuinely interested in preserving the environment need to see if the actions taken will actually preserve the environment rather than hastening it's destruction.

As a Christian, I believe that when God gave man dominion over the living things of the earth, he made us responsible for taking care of thwe earth. He will hold us accountable for mis using it. Destroying it in the name of environmentalism is no better than destroying it for easy money.