Haifha, an 83 year-old woman from Indonesia, was attacked and bit by a 6 1/2 foot-long Komodo dragon on Tuesday, according to The Christian Science Monitor.
Komodo National Park official Heru Rudiharto said the humongous Komodo dragon attacked the elderly woman and bit into her left hand. She was near her home on Rinca Island, one of the last homes of the Komodo.
She had to hit the giant lizards' nose with a broom several times before the creature let go. Upon hearing her screams, neighbors came to scare away the animal. It then took 20 stitches to repair her hand, The Christian Science Monitor reports.
Komodos are currently listed as an endangered species, with less than 4,000 believed to be alive today. Around 2,500 live in the wild in Indonesia on the two islands, Komodo and Rinca. They were previously wiped out on a neighboring island, Padar, due to hunters poaching their main food source, deer.
Many Komodos grow beyond the 6 foot-length of the animal in this case, reaching over 10 feet in length and weighing 150 pounds. They have razor sharp teeth and possess venom that can kill a person within hours of being bit, NBC News said. Komodos are thought to have descended from an even larger lizard species 30,000 years ago.
Komodos have already killed a young boy and a fisherman over the past few years.
Although attacks are rare, Komodos have reportedly grown more aggressive recently. One park ranger, Main, had a terrifying experience in 2009 when an overzealous Komodo slithered into his office, clamped on to his ankle. When he tried to pull the dragon off of his leg, it latched onto his hand and wouldn't let go.
"I thought I wouldn't survive... I've spent half my life working with Komodos and have never seen anything like it," Main said.
The injury required 55 stitches and was still swollen three months later.
"Luckily, my friends heard my screams and got me to hospital in time," he said.
