What better place for a scientist studying the Komodo dragon to go than the reptile’s namesake destination — Komodo Island.
Phillip Mahew, a Komodo dragon keeper at the Albuquerque BioPark and Zoo, got to take that trip this summer after six years on a waiting list, to be part of a conservation effort to ensure their survival. There are only 1,400 Komodo dragons left in the world.
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Mahew told KOAT that when he got to Komodo Island, “it felt like sailing into Jurassic Park,” and that the dragons were everywhere. Mahew and his team measured, monitored and microchipped 32 dragons while observing their behavior in their natural habitat.
“Just getting a good look at what their environmental parameters are like, we can mimic that here at the BioPark, as well as what they’re eating in the wild and how much they’re eating in the wild,” Mahew said. “and not just the Komodos but some of the other snakes we take care of here.”
If you’d like to see a Komodo dragon in person, the best way is to go to the weekly walks that Indah the dragon takes on Fridays, beginning at 11 a.m. outside the reptile building at the BioPark Zoo.
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