PETA Statement: Transfer of Endangered Komodo Dragons for Overseas Captive Breeding

PETA Asia President Jason Baker has issued the following statement in response to reports that two komodo dragons will be sent from Indonesia to Japan:

Endangered Komodo dragons should never be treated as diplomatic bargaining chips or prestige projects between Indonesia and Japan. Shipping these highly intelligent animals overseas for captive breeding only reinforces the dangerous myth that conservation can happen behind zoo walls, while any offspring born there would be condemned to a lifetime of confinement. True conservation protects Komodo dragons where they belong—in their natural habitats—not by exporting them for political optics or public‑relations gains.