The St. Louis Zoo has built a new home for its latest resident — its first Komodo dragon in 12 years.
Charlie hatched in the Denver Zoo in 2018 before being adopted by the Bronx Zoo, where he lived until now. The St. Louis Zoo adopted him in September and named him after former St. Louis Zoo Director Charles H. Hoessle.
Visitors can get a sneak peak of Charlie’s habitat on Oct. 16 during the zoo’s Halloween festivities. The general public will get to see him during regular zoo hours starting Oct. 20.
It was an easy decision to adopt a Komodo dragon due to their popularity with kids and families, said Justin Elden, the St. Louis Zoo Herpetology and Aquatics curator.
“We knew we wanted to do something really, really special,” Elden said. “When it comes to big, charismatic species that get the public excited, that we can tell their conservation story for, Komodo dragons were definitely the most obvious choice.”
Once the zoo decided to adopt a dragon, Elden knew a special home was needed for the new resident and reached out to the Komodo dragon Special Species Survival Plan coordinator. Members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums work together to create survival plans for species and have sustainable populations for zoos and conservation purposes, Elden said.
Komodo dragons are native to Indonesia and endangered. Komodo National Park, which is on an Indonesian island, was founded in 1980 to protect the species. Global Conservation estimates that there are fewer than 3,500 dragons.
Elden said conservation efforts have been critical to keeping the dragons alive, however they can face outside threats such as poaching and litter. Plastic, trash and debris sometimes floats to the island, and Elden said there have been instances of dragons dying from eating debris.
“Assuming that climate change doesn't take a toll on their island homes and assuming the situation with trash and debris can be taken care of somehow, we're optimistic about the future of these guys,” Elden said.
Komodo dragons are the largest species of lizard — they can grow up to eight feet and can weigh more than 300 pounds. Charlie is almost five feet long and is still growing.
The dragons can live for up to 30 years and often live alone, so visitors can get to see Charlie for decades.
“We want to make sure that they have an animal that can grow with them,” Elden said. “We're hoping that we'll have lots and lots of people over the next couple decades, over the course of Charlie's long life to get to know him and come visit him.”
Zoo officials renovated part of the almost 100-year-old Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium to include an updated solarium to house Charlie. The zoo’s architecture and planning and facilities management teams worked with independent contractors to build the space. The site previously included three habitats that housed tortoises, skinks and Cuvier's dwarf caimans.
The walls were removed to create one large habitat. The updated habitat includes additions tailored to house a Komodo dragon like specialized plastic ceiling panels to better emit UV radiation. It also includes UV lamps for overcast days. The dragons need UV radiation to help them metabolize their food.
Elden hopes visitors will get to see how the species lives, even if they’re not able to visit its natural habitat.
