In 1969, Auffenberg and his family moved to Komodo Island for 11 months where Auffenberg could study the Komodo dragon in its natural habitat. During their stay, Auffenberg, his family and his assistant Putra Sastrawan captured and tagged more than 50 Komodo dragons.[5] The research from the Auffenberg expedition would prove to be influential in the future propagation of Komodo dragons in captivity.