A CANADIAN FIRST - RARE KOMODO DRAGON BORN AT TORONTO ZOO!
Press Release - For Immediate Release
For More Information
Cynthia Shipley
Supervisor, Public Relations
At (416) 392-5938
October 1st, 2003, Toronto, Ontario: On the morning of Wednesday, August 27th, a tiny, brightly marked reptile emerged from his egg to become the first Komodo dragon ever hatched in Canada. The 184 gm, 47 cm long baby had been carefully nurtured in the Zoo's Animal Health Centre incubator for the 240 day hatching period. The sex, as yet unknown, will be determined by blood tests. While a total of 95 Komodo dragons representing 8 zoos have been successfully hatched in the United States, this is Canada's first. Both the Toronto and Minnesota zoos (home of Doni, the father) are thrilled at this important new arrival.
"Because Doni's genetics are so valuable to the future Komodo population, we are absolutely thrilled that he's reproduced. It took a lot of planning on all kinds of levels to make this happen. We've successfully done our job, as has Doni," says Beth Jo Schoeberl, Minnesota Zoo Tropics Supervisor.
Since neither mom Draca (14 years old) nor dad Doni (16 years old) were genetically represented in the captive population, this particular pairing was considered to be the highest ranked for the species in North America. A third Komodo dragon, Loca (female, 17 years old), has also produced eggs which are expected to hatch in a few weeks.
"The baby looks great, has a good appetite and is running around energetically", notes Curatorial Keeper Andrew Lentini. Now, at 1 month old, the hatchling is small and highly patterned. When fully grown, our little Komodo could get as big as 3+ metres (depending on sex). Picture it running fast (18.5 km/h), being able to swim and climb, and to eat up to 80% of it's body weight in one sitting! For now the diet of the voracious little Komodo dragon is small mice.
While home is currently the Zoo's Animal Health Centre, if all goes well, the baby could soon be on display in a new exhibit in the Australasia Pavilion. In the meantime, come and admire muscular Dad Doni in the existing Komodo dragon display.
Komodo dragons are the largest flesh-eating lizards in the world. In the wild, where they exist only on four small Indonesian islands, part of the Pacific's "Rim of Fire", the remaining population of as few as 5,000 is vulnerable to disease, volcanic activity, and competition with feral dogs and man. They are considered to be severely endangered in their natural habitat. Komodo dragons lay from 20 to 30 eggs one month after breeding. After an incubation period, the infants will hatch and take to the trees to avoid predation.
Zoo Hours until Oct. 13th - 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Last admissions one hour before closing. General Admission 13-64 incl. is $18, Children 3 and under free, Children 4-12 are $10 and Seniors 65+ are $12. Parking is $8. The Zoo is located at Meadowvale Road and Hwy. 401, Exit 389 east and west bound. For general information, call (416) 392-5929 or visit www.torontozoo.com
