Komodo dragons require specialized environmental management in captivity, with temperature gradients, olfactory enrichment, and appropriate humidity being critical for welfare.
Komodo dragon welfare in captivity centers on meeting their pronounced thermoregulatory needs, olfactory enrichment requirements, and spatial needs. Dragons denied adequate basking temperature become immunocompromised and metabolically sluggish. Olfactory enrichment using prey scent trails, novel odors, and scattered food items engages their primary sensory modality and activates natural hunting sequences. Exhibition in inadequate space without thermal complexity represents a significant welfare failure for an active predator.