JAKARTA, April 1 — Indonesia will loan two Komodo dragons to Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture, where it is hoped the endangered reptiles will be able to breed, and will receive some red pandas and giraffes in return, an official said Monday.

The Forestry Ministry said the animal swaps would increase “contributions from both parties toward wildlife protection and conservation, as well as raising public awareness of biodiversity,” adding that the programme was intended to breed the Komodo dragons, which the IUCN Red List classifies as endangered.

Ahmad Munawir, a conservation official at the ministry, told Reuters a male and a female will be sent to a zoo in Shizuoka. In return, the prefecture will send several animals to Indonesia, including red pandas and giraffes, Ahmad said.

The agreement was signed last week, ahead of a visit to Japan by President Prabowo Subianto, who met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday.

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said yesterday that the dragons should never be treated as “diplomatic bargaining chips”.

“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,” PETA Asia President Jason Baker said, adding that the dragons should remain in their habitat.

Indonesia is home to over 3,000 Komodo dragons, according to government data. The reptiles are the largest lizards in the world, growing up to around 3 metres (10 feet) long. They have a yellow forked tongue and a venomous bite.

Japan’s TV Shizuoka has reported the two dragons would arrive as early as June for the breeding programme. Ahmad said the dragons would be sent after a business-to-business agreement was signed by the zoos in Indonesia and Japan. — Reuters