Komodo dragons are the world's largest lizards and present unique welfare challenges in captivity related to thermoregulation, space requirements, and their specialised predatory behaviour.
Komodo dragon welfare in captivity requires attention to their ectothermic physiology, size, and behavioural complexity. As the world's largest lizard, Komodo dragons need substantial enclosure space to allow thermoregulatory movement between basking and cool areas — the thermal gradient is essential for digestion, immune function, and reproductive cycling. UV-B provision for vitamin D synthesis prevents metabolic bone disease. Feeding enrichment that engages predatory behaviour — prey scent trails, hidden food, whole prey — provides both nutrition and cognitive stimulation. Komodo dragons show individual personality traits and can develop familiarity with regular keepers, suggesting greater behavioural complexity than is often assumed. Zoo Komodo populations serve as conservation insurance for this increasingly threatened species.