Komodo dragons, the world's largest living lizards, are increasingly rare in the wild and held in zoos globally, where their complex thermoregulatory, dietary, and territorial needs must be carefully managed to ensure acceptable welfare.
Komodo dragons have specific welfare requirements that make their management in zoos technically demanding. As ectotherms, they depend entirely on external heat sources for thermoregulation, and inadequate thermal gradients cause metabolic problems, immune suppression, and behavioral abnormalities. Their large size and territorial nature mean that enclosures need to be substantial — cramped housing causes chronic stress. Feeding whole prey items (or appropriately sized carcasses) allows expression of natural predatory behavior, while purely processed diets may be nutritionally inadequate and behaviorally unstimulating. Zoos with the resources to provide large, well-heated enclosures with appropriate prey items and skilled reptile keepers can house Komodo dragons with reasonable welfare. The conservation value of zoo populations is genuine given ongoing wild habitat pressures.